The dust has settled on the NBA trade deadline – sort of – and the court action continues with the Eastern Conference showdown between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons on Friday night in Detroit. This is arguably the last possible conference preview; Detroit tops the East at 37-13, and New York is not far behind with a 33-18 record.
Let’s get into my Knicks vs. Pistons.
New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons Lakers odds
Money line: Knicks -114 / Pistons -104
Spread: Knicks +1 (-112) / Pistons -1 (-108)
Total: Over 224.5 (-110) / Under 224.5 (-110)
New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons best bet #1: Pistons -1 (-108)
There’s no need to worry too much about this being the second leg of a back-to-back situation for the Pistons. Thursday’s game against Washington was no contest. Detroit fell behind heavily from the start and didn’t make much of an effort to come back. Only two players in the Pistons’ lineup have logged more than 30 minutes and Cade Cunningham (38) is the only player with more than 33 minutes. Additionally, Detroit is 6-1 straight up in back-to-back second legs so far in 2025-26. Given the Pistons’ 126-117 clunker loss to the lowly Wizards, they should be motivated to rectify that in front of their home crowd.
Playing at home could be the focus on Friday. Detroit is 20-5 inside Little Caesars Arena this season. Meanwhile, New York is just 11-12 on the road compared to 21-6 at Madison Square Garden. Cade Cunningham has scored 29 or more points in two straight games and three of the last four. Fellow back Duncan Robinson is 12 for 24 from three in Detroit’s past two contests. For New York, Karl-Anthony Towns (eye strain) and Josh Hart (ankle) are questionable.
