The Detroit Pistons will be looking to take a 2-1 series lead when they host the New York Knicks on Thursday, April 24th. The Knicks have long been viewed as a contender in the Eastern Conference, but the Pistons have looked like the better team in seven of the eight quarters we have seen in this series. Detroit also had New York’s number in the regular season. So, how will the Knicks respond in the Motor City?
Keep reading for Knicks vs. Pistons odds and predictions, and make sure you come back to VSiN throughout the course of the NBA Playoffs. We’ll have previews of every single series and daily best bets/player props. We’ll also have betting trends and insights from our analytics guru Steve Makinen. Of course, we’ll also be talking about all of this on our live programming too! It’s a great time to be a VSiN subscriber, so make sure you check out our $59 Summer Special. That’ll give you full access to everything we have to offer until August 1st!
How To Watch Knicks vs. Pistons
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan
When: 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, April 24th
Channel: TNT
Knicks vs. Pistons Odds
(Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook and accurate as of Thursday, April 24th at 10:30 am ET)
Moneyline: Knicks -118, Pistons -102
Spread: Knicks -1 (-110), Pistons +1 (-110)
Total: Over 213.5 (-110), Under 213.5 (-110)
Knicks vs. Pistons Prediction
The Pistons have been a good defensive team all season, but are they good enough to keep stifling the Knicks? In Game 2, New York scored only 101.1 points per 100 possessions, which is way down from the team’s 119.5 points per 100 possessions during the regular season. Of course, playing at Little Caesars Arena won’t be as easy as playing at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks, but I think the venue matters way less than the actual tactics and execution. And I think we’re going to see a much better approach from New York in Game 3.
Jalen Brunson, who is one of the best isolation scorers in the world, has been doing a little too much dribbling in this series. That’s something he admitted himself. During New York’s Thursday morning shootaround, Brunson noted that he needs to get off the ball more. And you know what? That should unlock everything. The Knicks badly need to get Karl-Anthony Towns more involved, and they can also benefit from doing a little more with OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. Doing all of that will also make things a lot easier on Brunson. If he can attack scrambling defenses a little more, he should cook.
Defensively, while this might be hard to believe, New York doesn’t need to change much. The Knicks held the Pistons to 106.4 points per 100 possessions in Game 2. Outside of Cade Cunningham going off, everything was right where it needed to be. New York just needs to be a little better about fouling less, which could happen naturally with Tom Thibodeau having complained about the whistle after Game 2. And the Knicks just need to play well enough offensively to not waste the defensive effort.
Another thing to like about New York is that the team is 28-16 straight-up when coming off an upset loss at home under Thibodeau. On top of that, the Knicks are 38-20 under Thibodeau when favored on the road by 6 or fewer points. Meanwhile, the Pistons are just 8-10 SU as home underdogs under JB Bickerstaff. And this is also the point in the series in which we’re going to learn a lot about the coaching. Bickerstaff has done a great job with this Detroit team, but he lost his job in Cleveland because he wasn’t effective when it came to in-series adjustments. Has he learned from past mistakes?
Bet: Knicks ML (-115 – 1.5 units)
