Knicks vs. Pistons Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, April 10

If the 2024-25 regular season ended today, the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons would match up in the first round, and we’ll get a preview of what that may look like on Thursday night.

The Knicks, who are coming off an overtime loss on Tuesday to the Boston Celtics, will hit the road to play in Detroit. The Pistons have dropped two games in a row and are now behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 5 seed, but they have won two of their three meetings with the Knicks so far this season.

New York has won 50 games in back-to-back seasons, but it has struggled against some of the best teams in the NBA, making many question the team’s ceiling when it comes to the playoffs.

On Thursday, the Pistons are favored at home in this matchup with the Knicks sitting OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this Eastern Conference showdown.

Knicks vs. Pistons Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Knicks +3.5 (-108)
Pistons -3.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Knicks: +136
Pistons: -162

Total

229 (Over -110/Under -110)

Knicks vs. Pistons How to Watch

Date: Thursday, April 10
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Little Caesars Arena
How to Watch (TV): MSG, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
Knicks record: 50-29
Pistons record: 43-36

Knicks vs. Pistons Injury Reports

Knicks Injury Report

Josh Hart – out
OG Anunoby – out
Ariel Hukporti – out
Mitchell Robinson – out

Pistons Injury Report

Cade Cunningham – probable
Ron Harper Jr. – questionable
Tobias Harris – probable
Jaden Ivey – out
Tolu Smith – questionable
Daniss Jenkins – questionable
Isaiah Stewart – questionable

Knicks vs. Pistons Best NBA Prop Bets

New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

Miles McBride OVER 11.5 Points (-115)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Miles McBride is a solid prop target tonight:

The Knicks have ruled out Josh Hart and OG Anunoby for this game, which means Miles McBride will likely end up in the starting lineup on Thursday.

This season, McBride is averaging 13.9 points per game while shooting 40.4 percent from 3 in eight starts. He’s averaging just 8.7 points per game as a reserve.

The Knicks have been banged up as of late – including McBride and Jalen Brunson – but I expect Tom Thibodeau to let his sixth man get a little bit of a rhythm on Thursday. McBride has multiple 20-point games as a starter this season, and I think he’s undervalued at this number with two of the Knicks’ top five scorers not even suiting up on Thursday.

Detroit Pistons Best NBA Prop Bet

Cade Cunningham OVER 25.5 Points (-120)

Cade Cunningham has dominated the Knicks over the last two seasons, scoring 29 or more points in four of his last five matchups against them.

This season, Cunningham is averaging 25.9 points per game, and he’s scored 25 and 35 points in his two games back from a calf injury. On top of that, he’s cleared this prop in each of his last two games against the Knicks – both of which Detroit won.

With OG Anunoby and Josh Hart out for New York, there are a few less players the Knicks can send at Cunningham tonight.

Knicks vs. Pistons Prediction and Pick

I’m buying the Pistons in this matchup, as they have a lot more to play for than New York.

While the Knicks still need to lock up the No. 3 seed, they have already shown their hand that this game doesn’t matter much to them by sitting Anunoby, Hart and Robinson on the front end of a back-to-back.

It’s also possible that the Knicks will limit the minutes of Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns since they’ve all had major workloads this season.

Detroit, on the other hand, is two games back of the No. 5 seed with three games to play, and it could gain ground on the Milwaukee Bucks with a win – and a Bucks loss – tonight.

Detroit is just 7-12 against the spread as a home favorite this season, but the Knicks have too many players out tonight to trust them to cover such a short spread.

Pick: Pistons -3.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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