Knicks vs Pistons Prediction

The 3rd seed New York Knicks and 6th seed Detroit Pistons are facing off in the Eastern Conference First Round.

New York defeated Detroit 123-112 on Sunday to take Game 1 of the series. The game went back and forth for three quarters with 20 lead changes. Momentum swung in New York’s favor in the fourth quarter, as they outscored Detroit 40-21 in the frame.

New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks, as he had 34 points and dished out 8 assists. Brunson struggled early as he shot 4-for-15 from the field in the first half. He was able to bounce back with a more efficient second half, scoring 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting.

Karl-Anthony Towns racked up a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while also handing out 5 assists. He also came up big on defense, as he got 2 blocks and grabbed 4 steals.

OG Anunoby’s two-way versatility was on full display with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks.

The Knicks had four players in double figures, as Josh Hart scored 13 and Cam Payne scored 14.

New York did a good job of taking care of the ball, as they only had 9 turnovers in comparison to Detroit’s 19.

One area of concern for New York is the consistency of Mikal Bridges.

Bridges had a quiet game, as he only had 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. New York saw Bridges as the piece that would put them over the top and make them true contenders in the east, as they gave up a lot of draft capital for him. They will simply need more from him if they want to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons

Detroit showed that this series won’t be a runaway for New York.

In his playoff debut, Cade Cunningham scored 21 points on 8-for-21 shooting from the field. He had 12 assists to go along with his scoring.

The Pistons’ veterans came to play in Game 1. Tobias Harris led the team in scoring with 25 points, 12 of those coming from beyond the arc. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 19 points, while Malik Beasley contributed with 20 off the bench.

Ausar Thompson is a crucial piece to Detroit’s defense, but his presence was limited due to foul trouble. The Pistons will need Thompson to stay disciplined on that side of the ball if they want to have a chance.

As a team, Detroit torched New York’s perimeter defense. The Pistons shot 15-for-32 from the 3-point line. However, they only had 46 points in the paint to New York’s 62.

Prediction

The Pistons won the regular season series against the Knicks 3-1. All games were close aside from a New York blowout win. However, the playoffs are a different animal.

Detroit won’t make this series easy for New York, but their energy will not be enough to overcome the experience New York has in the playoffs. Cunningham has the ability to will the Pistons to a couple of wins, but Detroit lacks a definitive second scoring option.

Prediction: Knicks in 6.

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