The Knicks and Pistons split the first two games of this first-round series and these two clubs will go head-to-head in Detroit for Game 3 on Thursday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, New York is favored by one-point and this game carries a total of 217.5 points.
Below, I break down this matchup between the Knicks and Pistons and give a pick for the game via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Knicks vs. Pistons preview, prediction
After blowing an eight-point fourth quarter lead in Game 1, the Pistons redeemed themselves in Game 2 with a 100-94 victory to even this series at one win apiece. Detroit led by as many as 15 points in Game 2 and they never gave up the lead after the midway point of the first quarter. Cade Cunningham was outstanding with 33 points and 12 rebounds, and Dennis Schroder provided a huge spark off the bench with 20 points.
The Knicks had no answers for Cunningham when he drove to the basket and the guard went to the free throw line 12 times. On top of their inability to slow down Cunningham, New York’s offense had some issues. Jalen Brunson was the hero with 37 points and Mikal Bridges also added 19, but no other player scored more than 10 points. Karl-Anthony Towns was particularly uninvolved. The center saw an unusually low 14.1% usage rate and only logged 33 minutes in the loss. Notably, Towns only attempted three shots in the entire second-half. Before Game 2, the Kentucky product had scored at least 21 points in all four his matchups with Detroit this season.
The Knicks must get Towns more involved in Game 3 and that should be the case after all the criticism he and this New York coaching staff have faced the last few days. Tom Thibodeau should have a game plan that heavily features Towns and the big man should get back to seeing around 40 minutes.
Brunson is an incredible scorer who can will the Knicks to wins on his own, but in this matchup with the Pistons, New York needs another player to step-up in the scoring department to help Brunson, and Towns will hopefully be that player in Game 3. The center playing more and being more aggressive will also help New York’s rebounding, after they were out-rebounded by the Pistons by 14 in Game 2. Towns only finished with six boards in that contest, but he has recorded double-digit rebounds in every other matchup against the Pistons this season and he is averaging a career-high 12.8 rebounds per game in 2024-25.
Defensively, the Knicks likely will continue to struggle to stop Cunningham, as the guard is averaging 29.5 PPG against New York with a 53% shooting percentage in six matchups this season. However, if the Knicks can contain the Pistons’ secondary players and avoid another outlier performance like we saw from Schroder in Game 2, New York will be in a strong position to bounce-back Thursday.
Knicks vs. Pistons pick, best bet
The Knicks have been excellent after a loss this season and that trend should continue in Game 3. Following a defeat, New York is 22-9, which is the third-best record in the NBA. Conversely, the Pistons are only 23-21 when coming off a win, which ranks 16th in the league. On DraftKings Sportsbook, 77% of the handle and 61% of the bets for this game are on the Knicks’ spread, and tailing the public is a smart move in this situation.
