The New York Knicks will get one more shot at the Detroit Pistons in the regular season when these two Eastern Conference powerhouses collide at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. Detroit comfortably leads the East standings at 40-13, while New York (35-20) is only a half-game behind Boston for the No. 2 seed.
Let’s dive into my Pistons vs. Knicks predictions.
Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks odds
Money line: Pistons +150 / Knicks -180
Spread: Pistons +3.5 (-105) / Knicks -3.5 (-115)
Total: Over 222.5 (-110) / Under 222.5 (-110)
Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks best bet #1: Knicks -3.5 (-115)
While you have to worry about motivation level for a lot of NBA teams this time of year, that won’t be a problem for the Knicks on Thursday — not after they lost the first two games of this regular-season series against Detroit by 31 and 38 points. Pride is on the line, and that isn’t the only reason why New York should be well positioned to get revenge. The first two games were in Detroit, whereas this one is inside Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are 21-7 at home so far in 2025-26 compared to 13-13 on the road. They are 5-1 against the spread in their last six at home.
Moreover, New York was missing both Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby in the most recent meeting with Detroit. This time around it is playing with a clean bill of team health. It is Detroit that will be depleted on Thursday. Both Jalen Duren (two games) and Isaiah Stewart (seven) are suspended for their role in a February 9 fracas against Charlotte. That is rough news for the Pistons down low. Duren is averaging 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest; Stewart registers at 10.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Look for the Knicks to capitalize. They are 10-2 straight up and 10-2 ATS in their last 12 overall.
Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks best player prop bet: Duncan Robinson Over 10.5 points (-120)
Robinson has exceeded this 10.5 quota in four of his last five games. The 31-year-old has scored at least 20 points twice during this stretch and 18 on one other occasion. There is no need to be worried about his nine-point performance against the Knicks earlier in February, as he shot 3-for-7 from downtown and logged just 20 minutes of court time since it was such a blowout.
The Williams College and Michigan product obviously does most of his damage from three-point land, and New York’s defense is nothing special in that department. It ranks 12th in the NBA in opponents’ three-point shooting percentage at 35.7. With Duren and Stewart unavailable, Robinson has to help pick up the slack — and he should be able to do it.