The Detroit Pistons (0-1) and New York Knicks (1-0) will square off in Game 2 of their first round NBA Playoff series tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game will broadcast live on TNT.
The Knicks are 7-point favorites over the Pistons on the spread (Knicks -6.5), with the over/under set at 221.5 total points. New York is a -275 favorite to win outright, while Detroit is +220 to pull off the upset.
The Knicks successfully defended homecourt in the first matchup of this series with a comeback victory that included a monstrous 21-0 run to pull away late in the game. That type of comeback can swing the energy in a series.
Can New York build on that performance or will Detroit even up the series? Let's get into my Pistons vs. Knicks predictions and NBA picks for Monday, April 21.
Pistons vs Knicks Prediction for NBA Playoffs Game 2
My Knicks vs. Pistons Game 2 best bet is on New York to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at Fanatics. But as always, make sure to shop for the best line using our live NBA odds page.
My Pick: Knicks -7 (-110)
Pistons vs Knicks Odds, Spread, Total
| Pistons Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7 -110 | 221.5 -110o / -110u | +220 |
| Knicks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7 -110 | 221.5 -110o / -110u | -275 |
- Pistons vs. Knicks spread: Knicks -7
- Pistons vs. Knicks over/under: 221.5 total points
- Pistons vs. Knicks moneyline: Pistons +220, Knicks -275
- Pistons vs. Knicks best bet: Knicks -7 (-110)
Detroit Pistons vs New York Knicks Picks, Preview, Best Bets
New York could have easily let the first matchup of this series slip away, but the Knicks' playoff experience came through in the fourth quarter to take control of the game.
The Pistons' 19 turnovers were a major issue, and they will need to rectify it to win any games in this series. They are a bottom-10 team in turnover percentage. However, this was a particularly poor performance.
Some of this will be tough to avoid, with OG Anunoby blanketing Cade Cunningham the entire game, despite Detroit continuing to set screens higher to give Cade some runway to work with. Anunoby secured five steals, and should be able to pick up a few more in this game.
The primary issue for the Pistons is that they lack secondary creation outside of Cade. While Dennis Schroder can play, he's a defensive liability, which is even more difficult to navigate if Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart both get into foul trouble again.
While Cade can create for both himself and others, there will be a reliance on surrounding him with strong scoring threats that are not a complete sieve on defense.
Malik Beasley played 35 minutes and was 6/12 from 3-point range. I'm grabbing him to score over 14.5 points. When Beasley plays 25+ minutes, he hits this in 69% of games and 81% in 30+ minutes.
I was on his prop last game because I like the matchup against the Knicks who struggle against spot-up shooters like Beasley. Now that I'm seeing him play this many minutes, I'm encouraged to run it back.
For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson tweaked his ankle, but was still a killer in this game. Ausar Thompson was asked how he felt covering Brunson, and he didn't think there were any issues. Thompson picked up two relatively soft fouls, and that's where Brunson will continue to get the benefit of the doubt from the referees.
If the Pistons need to commit more resources to Brunson, it should also open up more for Karl-Anthony Towns. KAT had his lowest usage game of the entire season in Game 1 with just 16.5% usage. I do not expect that to be replicated in Game 2.
Towns was efficient as a scoring threat, and still played 39 minutes. He has averaged a 25.3% usage rate this season, per Cleaning the Glass. He has also found success against this Pistons team in particular.
KAT's Points + Assists line is set at 25.5, a number he has exceeded in six straight games against Detroit, including all four this season. I like the assists too, because he has been effective as a secondary facilitator, especially when there is poor defense on him in the post.
Overall, the Knicks should maintain an edge here. They have more offensive talent and relentlessly attacked the rim against Detroit this season. Furthermore, New York's ability to maintain a high level of offense in the halfcourt when the game slows down proves invaluable in this spot.
Pistons vs Knicks Game 2 Betting Prediction
- Knicks -7
Pistons vs Knicks Same Game Parlay Picks
- Knicks Moneyline
- Karl-Anthony Towns 20+ Points
- OG Anunoby 2+ Steals
- Malik Beasley 3+ Three-Pointers Made
Parlay Payout: +260
Pistons vs Knicks Betting Trends
- 67% of bets and 65% of the money are on the Knicks to cover the spread
- 82% of bets and 74% of the money on the moneyline are on the Knicks to win outright
- 92% of bets and 89% of the money are on the over
Betting trends via our live, updating NBA public betting & money percentages page.
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