Knicks vs. Pistons Prediction and Odds: Will the Pistons Force Game 7 in NY?

The Detroit Pistons will try to keep their season alive as they host the New York Knicks in a 3-2 hole in the Eastern Conference Playoffs on Thursday.

The Pistons extended the series after trailing 1-3 thanks to a 106-103 victory on Tuesday. They should probably be ahead in the series, seeing as the referees missed a crucial foul on a game-winning shot attempt at the death in Game 4.

The Knicks blew their chance to end this series at home and now have to go on the road to Detroit. They’re 2-0 in Little Caesars Arena thus far, but those wins came by a total of three points (and one missed call).

Here, I will break down the Knicks vs. Pistons betting odds and share my favorite pick for the matchup.

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Knicks vs. Pistons Betting Odds for Thursday, May 1

The Knicks are 43-43-1 (50 percent) against the spread, 21-22 (48.8 percent) ATS on the road, and 7-11 (38.9 percent) ATS as an underdog.

The Pistons are 44-40-3 (52.4 percent) ATS, 19-23-1 (45.2 percent) ATS at home, and 19-20 (48.7 percent) ATS as a favorite.

Odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. Use our BetMGM promo code WSNSPORTS to get up to $1,500 in bonus bets*.

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Knicks vs. Pistons Prediction

New York Knicks Preview

As I’ve said before, a series loss would be flat-out unacceptable for the Knicks. They got to Game 7 of the conference semifinals last year without their second-best player, Julius Randle, and mortgaged a ton of capital to add Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to their core.

The Pistons went 3-1 in the season series against the Knicks and already covered the series spread of 2.5 games. They also had a fourth-quarter lead in four of five games in this series.

On one hand, that’s a testament to the Knicks’ resiliency and ability to raise their level of play in the big moments. On the other, it’s representative of the fact they aren’t fulfilling their championship potential and are being dragged to deep waters by a team that only won 14 games a year ago.

New York’s offensive rating (109.2) is well below its season average and only 0.1 points higher than the Pistons’. They’ve taken care of the ball, but their usual advantage on the glass has been nullified.

The Knicks’ shot a solid 37.1 percent from three-point land, yet they’re tied for 12th in three-point makes per game. 

Nobody on the team scored more than 19 points in Game 4. Jalen Brunson averaged 29.8 points and 8.4 assists in the series, but despite repeatedly taking over in the fourth quarter, he’s also alienated some of his teammates and become predictably selfish with his late-game decision-making.

Towns’ numbers dropped from 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds in the regular season to 21.6 points and 9.0 rebounds in this series. The team’s bench also contributed the fewest points per game among all reserve units in the postseason.

Don’t get it mistaken, the Knicks are still the more talented team. However, they’re not quite as tough as they were a year ago, and their usual advantage in slow games that are muddied up by physicality and hustle has completely vanished due to the Pistons’ adoption of the same mindset.

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Detroit Pistons Preview

The Pistons find themselves in a similar position to the one held by the Knicks a year ago. They are the new kids on the block who aren’t as talented as the top teams in the conference, but who play with intensity and togetherness and refuse to relent until the final buzzer.

That approach has helped the Pistons be the better team more times than not. They began the fourth quarter with leads of eight, eight, seven, and three points in four of the five series games and can blame their inexperience and a botched refereeing decision on why they aren’t up 3-2 or already in the second round after a 4-1 win.

The Pistons’ vets on a mostly youthful team have made the difference. Tobias Harris is second in scoring with 16 points per game and also pitched in 8.2 rebounds per game and excellent primary defense on Towns, Dennis Schroder averaged 13.2 points and made a number of important late-game shots, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley both averaged 13 points.

All that said, there’s no confusion about who the man in charge is.

23-year-old Cade Cunningham averaged 25.4 points, 8.8 assists, and 8.6 rebounds in his first career playoff series. He had 24, 8, and 8 in Game 4 and showed his poise and comfort with a terrific assist to Asuar Thompson in the final minute that helped ice the game.

The Pistons weren’t a great home team during the regular season, only going 22-19. However, their fans have shown up and been full-throated in this series, giving them a tangible home-court advantage.

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Knicks vs. Pistons Betting Pick

• Knicks vs. Pistons pick: Pistons ML (-120) at BetMGM 

Just like the five previous games in this series, this has the makings of a close matchup. The Pistons have left no doubt that they can play with the Knicks and could go to court and argue that they have been the authority.

The Knicks’ inability to manufacture bench production combined with puzzling coaching decisions and a heavy reliance on Brunson puts the Pistons in a great position to extend the series, given their momentum and that they will be in front of their fans.

It will take a big game from Cunningham and several of the Detroit vets stepping up to the plate, but I believe they will do just that against a Knicks squad that has been reluctant to open up early-game leads and to step on the Pistons’ throats whenever they’ve had the chance. Get ready for Game 7.

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How to Watch Knicks vs. Pistons on 5/1/25

• When: Thursday, May 1 @ 7:30 p.m. ET

• Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI

• TV: TNT/truTV/Max