On Thursday night, the Detroit Pistons will be back on their home court to host the New York Knicks for Game 6 of their first-round series.
If the Pistons can pull off the victory for the second game in a row, they will force a Game 7, which would take place sometime on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. A loss would end the Pistons’ season once and for all.
Following Tuesday night’s Game 5 action, the NBA legend Charles Barkley mentioned that he believes the Pistons are in a position to force a Game 7 this weekend. After seeing the Pistons take care of business on the road once again, he believes the home-court advantage factor will help them greatly in the close-out battle.
“I’m thinking seven,” Barkley said, predicting Thursday’s outcome.
“I don’t think you can lose all three at home, and I think they’re gonna come out and that place is gonna be… Jalen [Brunson] is gonna be jumping all over the place going crazy. I think one of the worst feelings as a basketball player is to lose in the playoffs at home. I think that is the worst damn feeling in the world.”
As for Shaquille O’Neal, the former superstar big man believes that the Knicks are going to get just enough out of Jalen Brunson to close out the series.
“Jalen Brunson is a great player, and all great players never have two bad games in a row. Four and 16 is a terrible game, and he’s going to be focused and ready to go. I’m going with the Knicks to close this series out.”
When the Knicks and the Pistons last met in Detroit, Brunson scored a double-double with 32 points and 11 assists. It was the fourth game in a row he scored at least 30 points.
On Tuesday, Brunson flat-out struggled. In 36 minutes of action, he shot just 4-16 from the field. Seven of his points came from the free-throw line. In total, Brunson produced 16 points, along with seven assists. He also turned the ball over four times.
Fortunately for the Knicks, their history on Detroit’s court for this series is in their favor. They are 2-0 when playing at Little Caesars Arena this postseason.
However, it’s necessary to note that the Knicks were gifted a Game 4 victory as a no-call during the final shot in the fourth quarter failed to send Tim Hardaway Jr. to the line for three shots as the Pistons trailed by one point. The NBA admitted its mistake, but the Knicks were still handed a victory.
With the Pistons fighting for their playoff run to stay alive, they’ll need to finally win one at home. The two teams are slated for a 7:30 PM ET tip on Thursday.
