Pistons vs. Knicks Playoff Odds: Series Prediction, Odds, Analysis and Best Bet

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks won 50 games for the second consecutive season, but they finished in the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference – one spot lower than where they were in the 2023-24 campaign.

The Knicks struggled against the top teams in the league, going 0-10 against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Before they could set up a matchup with any of those teams, they’ll have to get through the scrappy Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.

The No. 6-seeded Pistons went from 14 wins last season to 44 in the 2024-25 season under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Cade Cunningham earned his first All-Star selection in the process, and the Pistons actually beat the Knicks in three of the four meetings between these teams this season.

Still, oddsmakers have the Knicks pretty heavily favored to win this series.

Here’s a look at the odds for the series, the exact outcome, and my prediction for Knicks vs. Pistons in the first round.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Pistons vs. Knicks Series Odds

Pistons: +330
Knicks: -425

Pistons vs. Knicks Correct Score Odds

Knicks in 5: +275
Knicks in 6: +380
Knicks in 7: +400
Knicks in 4: +400
Pistons in 6: +900
Pistons in 7: +1000
Pistons in 5: +1800
Pistons in 4: +3000

Pistons vs. Knicks Trends to Watch

Detroit Pistons

Since the All-Star break, the Pistons have been one of the better teams in the NBA, going 15-12 while posting the ninth-best net rating in the NBA.

Detroit did have a stretch where it struggled a bit to close the season, but Cade Cunningham missed some time with a calf injury. When it comes to betting on game-to-game action, here are a few trends to know for the Pistons:

Detroit is 3-1 straight up against the Knicks this season
The Pistons are 11-8-1 against the spread as home underdogs
The Pistons are 12-10-2 against the spread as road underdogs
The OVER hit in 51.3 percent of Detroit’s games this season

New York Knicks

A Jalen Brunson injury derailed the second half of the Knicks’ season, but they still finished with over 50 wins for the second straight year.

On top of that, New York finished the regular season eighth in net rating, invoking a key trend dating back to the 1996-97 season:

Since the 1996-97 season, every team that won the NBA Finals finished top 8 in net rating in the regular season.

This season's top 8 in net rating:

1. Thunder
2. Celtics
3. Cavs
4. Timberwolves
5. Clippers
6. Grizzlies
7. Rockets
8. Knicks
— Peter Dewey (@peterdewey2) April 14, 2025

The Knicks did struggle after the All-Star break (a lot of this came without Brunson), as they were just 18th in the league in net rating.

New York also struggled against Detroit (1-3), but it did go 20-16-1 against the spread when favored at home. The Knicks’ defense has been a major issue all season long, as teams have attacked big man Karl-Anthony Towns in New York’s drop coverage. It’ll be interesting to see how much Tom Thibodeau uses Mitchell Robinson in this series to combat the Knicks’ issues on the defensive end of the floor.

Pistons vs. Knicks Prediction and Pick

It’s tough to judge this Knicks team since they have played very few games at full strength since Mitchell Robinson returned from an ankle injury.

However, New York’s defense is a major concern, and Cade Cunningham has torched the Knicks for 30-plus points on multiple occasions this season.

It’s hard to discount Brunson’s recent playoff performances – he was a 40-point game machine last spring – but the Knicks have to be a better team on the defensive end if they want to win this series.

Detroit lacks playoff experience, but it also has been a physical team that doesn’t seem to care that nobody expected it to be here in the 2024-25 season.

Overall, the Knicks are very reliant on their five best players (Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby), but they need Bridges and Anunoby more involved on offense to make a deep playoff run.

The Pistons’ 44-win season was far from a fluke (they were a top-10 team in net rating for the entire second half of the season), and they’ve given the Knicks trouble since Cunningham gives them a ton of size in the backcourt.

New York is heavily favored to win this series, but the Pistons won three regular-season meetings in a row after an early-season loss. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Pistons pulled off the upset, or at least forced the Knicks to seven games where bettors could hedge.

Best Bet: Pistons to win the series (+330 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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