New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons Pick & Prediction APRIL 10th 2025
Preview and Prediction
The Knicks will make a trip to Detroit on Thursday to take on the Pistons. It is highly likely that they will have to make another trip in the near future.
These two teams from the Eastern Conference are expected to face each other in the first round of the playoffs.
At the moment, the Knicks (50-29) hold the third seed, with a two-game lead over the Indiana Pacers and only three games left to play. New York has the tiebreaker advantage over the Pacers after winning the season series, 2-1. A victory on Thursday would solidify their spot in third place.
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The Pistons (43-36) currently hold the sixth seed, trailing the Milwaukee Bucks by two games. After their game against the Knicks, they will face the Bucks on Friday and Sunday.
For several years, the Knicks have dominated the Pistons, but this season has been a different story. On their last visit to Detroit on November 1st, New York extended their winning streak against the Pistons to 16 games with a 128-98 victory.
However, the Pistons ended their losing streak against the Knicks on December 7th with a 120-111 win in New York. They then went on to defeat the Knicks once again on January 13th, this time with a score of 124-119 at Madison Square Garden.
Cade Cunningham has been a thorn in the Knicks' side this season, averaging 29.0 points, 8.3 assists, and 6.0 rebounds against them.
The Pistons have struggled in their last five games, losing four of them. This includes two consecutive losses at home, with a 109-103 defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday and a 127-117 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
In their game against the Kings, the Pistons blew an 18-point lead and were outscored 65-45 in the second half.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged that their defense let them down in the second half, saying, "We slowed down offensively. But again, our offense starts with our defense getting stops and allowing us to get out in transition. I thought defensively, we just let down."
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Cunningham, who scored 35 points in the game, also emphasized the importance of reestablishing their defensive principles heading into the playoffs.
The Knicks suffered a tough loss in overtime against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, with a final score of 119-117. Celtics star Jayson Tatum hit a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds remaining to force overtime, and the Knicks also gave up a crucial 3-pointer to Kristaps Porzingis in the final minute of OT.
Despite the loss, the Knicks are not taking any consolation in their performance. Center Karl-Anthony Towns stated, "We don't take moral victories. I thought we did a good job meeting their aggression. ... Just an all-around better game, execution, it gave us a chance to win, but they're a great team. Give them credit where credit is due. Defending champions did exactly what defending champions do."
If the current seedings hold, the Knicks would face the defending champions in the second round of the playoffs. However, they still have three games left to play before that potential matchup, including their game against the Pistons on Thursday.
Forward Josh Hart emphasized the importance of continuing to improve and build as a team, saying, "I don't think there's anything really positive about it. I think we're playing good basketball, and that's where we want to be toward the end of the year going into the playoffs. ... We didn't play well enough to win. We've got to continue to build."
New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons Recap JAN 15TH 2023
Julius Randle poured in a season-high 42 points and the New York Knicks defeated the host Detroit Pistons for the 12th consecutive time, 117-104, on Sunday afternoon.
Randle made 15 of 24 shots and added 15 rebounds and four assists. Jalen Brunson supplied 27 points with four assists. Immanuel Quickley had 17 points and RJ Barrett added 13 points.
New York, which has won seven of its last eight games, completed a sweep of the four-game season series.
Jaden Ivey and Saddiq Bey each had 21 points and six rebounds to lead the Pistons. Kevin Knox added 16 points and Alec Burks tossed in 14.
Bojan Bogdanovic, the Pistons' leading scorer, missed the game with a non-COVID illness. He was among several players unavailable for Pistons coach Dwane Casey, who used only nine players.
Detroit's depleted ranks were further complicated by foul issues, as both Isaiah Stewart and Ivey picked up three apiece in the first half. The Knicks opened up a 20-point lead in the second quarter but the Pistons finished the first half with a 15-4 run to pull within 62-55 by halftime. Former Knicks forward Knox sparked the run with seven points.
Ivey made two 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half as the Pistons pulled within six points.
At the midway point of the third, the Knicks' lead was still six. Barrett dunked after a Brunson steal and Brunson made a drive to push New York's lead into double digits again at 80-70.
Bey hit a 3-pointer late in the quarter to cut Detroit's deficit to six but Randle made two layups in the last 34 seconds to give New York a 90-80 advantage.
Quickley opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer. He made two free throws with 9:43 left to give the Knicks a 100-82 lead.
The Pistons then went on a 16-5 run but Randle drained a 3-pointer with 3:48 left to give his club a 109-98 lead. Detroit couldn't get closer than nine the rest of the way.