New York Knicks vs Detroit Pistons Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 19/04/2025, 04:14  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 19/04/2025 at 04:19 in NBA Predictions

Madison Square Garden will burst into life on Saturday for Game 1 in the NBA Playoffs between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons. The winner of this first-round clash will meet either the Celtics or the Magic in the Conference semi-final. Let’s get into the match prediction. 

The New York Knicks (51-31) ended the season in mixed form, 6-4 in their last 10 games, but finished ahead of the Pacers, who eliminated them in the Conference semis last season. 

New York underwent a major overhaul this season, bringing in Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. Since those acquisitions, no five-player lineup has played more minutes than the Knicks' starting five. 

The personnel changes certainly helped the Knicks' offence, which averaged 115.8 points per game this season, with Jalen Brunson and Towns forming a formidable partnership. 

Meanwhile, there is no denying that the Detroit Pistons were the surprise package of this season, having claimed the sixth seed to return to the Playoffs for the first time since 2019. 

Not just that, they finished with a record of 44-38 after ending rock-bottom in the East last season with just 14 wins, and they did so with the youngest average team age in the NBA. 

The key contributor to their success this season is Cade Cunningham, who also led them to a 3-1 series win over the Knicks, averaging 30.8 points, 8.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds in those four games.