The stage is set for a playoff battle between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons. The three-seed Knicks will host Game 1 against the six-seeded Pistons on Saturday, April 19th, and you can expect Madison Square Garden to be bumping. Will the Knicks easily handle the young Pistons? Or will Detroit shock them in an upset for the ages? We are going to look at the Knicks-Pistons series odds, and storylines, before making an official prediction for this first-round playoff series.
Knicks vs Pistons Series Prediction and Overview
Experience Against Youth
The Knicks-Pistons odds are fairly lopsided. As of Monday morning, according to FanDuel.com, the Knicks are -390 favorites to win the series while the Pistons are +310 to complete the upset. The Knicks entered the season and will enter this series with high expectations. They built a roster to compete for a championship, and are still hoping to do just that.
The Knicks are bringing a lot more playoff experience to this series than Detroit. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges have all been a part of deep playoff runs, and the Knicks will be relying on their veteran leadership to control the series. Meanwhile, the Pistons, led by up-and-coming star Cade Cunningham, are a young team with zero expectations. They are playing with house money.
Key Knicks vs Pistons Storylines
Besides the battle between veterans and young talent, this series has a few other key storylines worth watching. The first and most important is Brunson’s health. Brunson recently returned from an ankle injury and hasn’t fully found his footing since returning. Brunson is only averaging 21 points on 43.5% shooting from the field in his last four games back. If Brunson can’t get back to his peak level for this series, there could be some room for the Pistons to take advantage. Luckily for the Knicks, they have multiple other offensive weapons at their disposal.
Another thing to watch out for in this series is Detroit’s defense. The Pistons hung their hat on their defensive abilities this season and ended the season in the top 10 in defensive efficiency. The Pistons have multiple defensive weapons, including Ausar Thompson, to throw at the Knicks’ offensive stars. Thompson has the ability to lock up anyone from Brunson to Towns. If the Pistons upset the Knicks, they’ll need to do it on the defensive end.
Knicks vs Pistons Series Prediction
This series will be closer than the sportsbooks expect. The Pistons won the season series against the Knicks 3-1 and are entering the series with a decent chance of playing spoiler. Cunningham and the young Pistons will make this a series strictly because of their grit and defense. Expect this series to go deep, maybe even six or seven games.
In the end, the Knicks should be able to handle the Pistons and advance to the second round. Even if he is still playing himself back into shape, Brunson is a headache to deal with in the playoffs, and the Pistons don’t have enough experience to keep up with his ability to control a game. Now that Brunson has two secondary stars in Towns and Bridges, he should be able to save himself for some signature late-game dominance. Don’t count the Pistons out completely. With nothing to lose, they could surprise the Knicks and punch New York before they knew what hit them.
Photo credit: © David Reginek-Imagn Images
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