The New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons will face off in the Eastern Conference in one of the more intriguing NBA playoff matchups. Both teams have embraced a hard-nosed defensive style, which should make for an exciting clash.
Looking at DraftKings Sportsbook, the New York Knicks hold -400 odds while the Pistons hold +310 odds of winning the overall series. The series total games is set at 5.5 with the over favored at -125 odds and the under set at +105.
Heading into the series opener, the Knicks are seven-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Pistons hold +230 odds on the Moneyline with the over/under set at 220.
Let’s take a look at how the public is betting this Eastern Conference battle.
Betting Splits
Looking at the series overall, 62% of the bets and 52% of the handle are on the New York Knicks. This means 38% of DraftKings betters and 48% of the handle is backing the Pistons to create the upset in the seven-game series.
Looking at the opening game matchup, the outlook is not far off:
While 62% of the bets are backing the Pistons to cover the +7 number, the betting handle is directly split 50/50 regarding the spread. There is not as much belief in Detroit to win outright, with just 21% of the bets and 27% of the handle backing the Pistons to produce the outright win. Conversely, 79% of bets and 73% of the handle are on the Knicks.
These are two teams in different parts of their timeline, but both are playing some high-level hoops. The Knicks have been to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in back-to-back seasons and went all-in this offseason, trading for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to try to take the next step into legitimate championship contenders. They only improved their record by one win in the regular season compared to last year, but these were moves made with the playoffs in mind, and it would be viewed as a massive failure if they are unable to advance past the opening round.
The Detroit Pistons became the first team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous season, going from 14-68 last year to 44-38 this season and earning a playoff opportunity. Cade Cunningham took another leap in his development and is blossoming into one of the true stars of the league. The organization did a nice job adding veterans in the offseason to flip into win-now mode, and they have found an identity as a team that works for them. While expectations may not be as high for the organization in their first postseason since 2018-19, they will not back down to any team and there are some basketball advantages you can talk yourself into if you believe in this team.
Most Popular Player Props
Here are the top five most-bet player props for Game 1 of the series:
- Jalen Brunson to score 30+ points (+125)
- Josh Hart to record 2+ made three-pointers (+220)
- Cade Cunningham to score 30+ points (+110)
- Josh Hart to record 7+ assists (+130)
- Jalen Brunson to score 1st points (+475)
It is no surprise to see Jalen Brunson headlining the player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Villanova product is at the heart of everything the Knicks do offensively. He finished the season averaging 26.0 points, 7.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 38.3% from beyond the three-point arc. He is coming off an impressive playoff run last year in which he averaged 32.4 points and 7.5 assists while hitting some memorable clutch shots in the process. His standard player prop is set at 27.5 points for the matchup and he holds -135 odds of being the scoring leader of the series.
Josh Hart serves as one of Brunson’s biggest sidekicks, although his impact does not always show up in the box score as clearly. He led the NBA in minutes this season at 37.6 per game. Hart averaged 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals across the regular season. Hart’s +400 odds of leading the series in rebounding is a prop that caught my eye, and he holds a prop line of 27.5 for his combined points, rebounds and assists in the opening game.
It is also not surprising for Cade Cunningham to be leading the prop bets for Detroit. The former No. 1 overall pick produced an All-NBA caliber season, and the lack of offensive creators around him leaves plenty on his plate. Cunningham’s scoring prop is set at 28.5 for the opening game, and he holds +140 odds to lead the series in points.
