The Detroit Pistons have given the New York Knicks some trouble in the 2024-25 season, and that’s continued into the first round of the playoffs.
Detroit stole Game 2 in New York on Monday night behind a 33-point game from Cade Cunningham, and it now finds itself back at home with a chance to take control of the series.
The Knicks, who have relied heavily on Jalen Brunson (27.0 shots per game) in this series, have not played well outside of a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter in Game 1. Can New York turn things around on the road?
Oddsmakers have this game set as a pick’em, and it makes sense with how evenly matched the first two games have been. Detroit survived another late Knicks flurry in Game 2, but it has been the better team for the majority of the first two games in this series.
Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for a crucial Game 3 on Thursday night.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Moneyline
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Knicks Injury Report
Pistons Injury Report
New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet
I’m buying Brunson as a scorer once again in Game 3, as he’s taken 27 shots in each of his first two playoff games, finishing with 34 and 37 points for the Knicks.
Now, Brunson may need to get his supporting cast more involved to win in this series, but there’s no doubt that the All-NBA guard has been effective scoring the ball. He’s shooting 24-for-54 from the field and 6-for-17 from 3.
Last season, Brunson averaged 32.4 points per game in the playoffs and took over his fair share of games in Knicks wins.
Detroit Pistons Best NBA Prop Bet
So far in this series, Cunningham has combined for 39 and 48 points, rebounds and assists, so it’s only right that his prop number falls right in between in Game 3.
During the regular season, Cunningham averaged 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game, hovering around this prop on a nightly basis. In the playoffs, he’s attempting 21 shots per game – slightly up from where he was in the regular season.
Cunningham is going to need a big scoring game to clear this line, but he’s put up at least 29 points in four of his last five meetings with the Knicks.
The Knicks are slight favorites in Game 3, but when you look at this series, New York has been outplayed in seven of the eight quarters – all at home.
Now, the series shifts to Detroit where the Pistons were 22-19 in the regular season, including an impressive 11-8-1 against the spread mark as home dogs.
New York has become extremely reliant on Brunson, and that’s made it tough to trust this offense in Game 3. The Knicks saw Karl-Anthony Towns go the entire fourth quarter without a shot attempt in Game 2, and Mikal Bridges came up short on a trio of late 3-point attempts that could have altered the outcome.
All season long, the Knicks have struggled with the Pistons, going 2-4 against them (1-3 in the regular season). Detroit didn’t shoot the ball great in Game 2 – Malik Beasley was just 1-for-8 from 3 – but Cade Cunningham’s 33 points were enough to get the job done.
Through two games, there isn’t much to hang your hat on if you’re a Knicks bettor outside of the 21-0 run in the fourth quarter of Game 1.
I think Detroit’s been the better team in the series, and I like it to take a 2-1 lead in Game 3.
Pick: Pistons Moneyline (-108 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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