Pistons vs. Knicks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, Oct. 27

The Knicks are favored at home as they look to get their first win of the season.

The New York Knicks and guard Mikal Bridges are favored on Tuesday night. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A pair of Eastern Conference contenders face off for the first time in the 2026-27 season on Tuesday night, as the defending champion New York Knicks host Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden.

The 2026-27 season has not gotten off to a great start for New York, which is 0-3 and 29th in the league in offensive rating. Mike Brown’s team has losses to Philadelphia, Boston and Orlando – three teams it’ll likely be competing with for a playoff spot in the East. So, a loss to Detroit on Tuesday would be yet another blow to a team that dominated the 2026 postseason. 

Meanwhile, the Pistons have weathered injuries to Ausar Thompson (questionable tonight) and Jalen Duren (out tonight) to beat Boston, Miami and Philly to open the season. Cunningham was an MVP candidate in the 2025-26 season, and the former No. 1 overall pick has his team rolling once again after it earned the No. 1 seed in the East in the 2025-26 regular season. 

Oddsmakers have set the Knicks as favorites in this game, but Jalen Brunson and Co. have not shown the cohesiveness on offense that they found in the 2026 playoffs. Mikal Bridges has more fouls than points this season and the Knicks are dead last in the league in points per game.

Can they turn that around in their third home game of the 2026-27 campaign?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for this Eastern Conference showdown. 

Pistons vs. Knicks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

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

Moneyline

• Pistons: +130
• Knicks: -155

Total

• 219.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Pistons vs. Knicks How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 27
• Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Madison Square Garden
• How to Watch (TV): NBC
• Pistons record: 3-0
• Knicks record: 0-3

Pistons vs. Knicks Injury Reports 

Pistons Injury Report

• Jalen Duren – out
• Ugonna Onyenso – out
• Ausar Thompson – questionable
• Isaiah Joe – questionable
• Isaac Jones – questionable
• Elijah Harkless – questionable

Knicks Injury Report

• Jose Alvarado – out

Pistons vs. Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

• Cade Cunningham OVER 23.5 Points (-123)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m buying Cade on the road against the Knicks: 

The Pistons could be without several rotation players on Tuesday night, as Jalen Duren has been ruled out and Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Joe are both questionable. 

That should open up more shots for Cade Cunningham, who scored 26 points on 19 shots in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. Cunningham has been a matchup nightmare for the Knicks dating back to the 2025 playoffs, averaging 26.8 points, 9.3 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game in his last 10 games against them. 

So, I don’t mind him at this number, especially with Duren sidelined. Detroit doesn’t have a ton of secondary ball-handling options, and with Tobias Harris now in San Antonio, Cunningham has an even bigger workload on his shoulders to score in isolation situations. 

This season, he’s put up 22 points (on 16 shots), 16 points (on eight shots) and 26 points (on 19 shots) in his three games. He should see his usage grow with Duren out, and the former No. 1 overall pick has at least 24 points in seven of his last 10 games against New York. 

Cunningham easily cleared this prop in two of his three regular-season games against the Knicks in the 2025-26 campaign, dropping 42 points in their last meeting while shooting 17-for-34 from the field.  

Pistons vs. Knicks Prediction and Pick

The Knicks haven’t shot the ball well through their first three games (29th in field goal percentage), but I’m not going to hit a panic button for this team three games into the season. 

Still, I have a hard time betting on the Knicks as favorites against Detroit.

The Pistons dominated New York in the 2025-26 regular season, and they’re off to a great start this season, beating Philly on Sunday without Duren or Thompson. There’s a chance Thompson returns for this game, which would be a bad sign for an already struggling Knicks offense.

So far in the 2026-27 season, the Pistons rank in the top seven in the league in offensive, defensive and net rating, and they’re a perfect 3-0 against the spread. 

I don’t mind taking the points on Tuesday, as we’ve yet to see the Knicks play anywhere near the level they were in last year’s playoffs. With Mitchell Robinson now in Boston and Jose Alvarado (ankle) out for this matchup, the Knicks aren’t as deep as they were in the 2025-26 campaign. 

That’s a major concern against a Pistons team that has already outplayed some of the top teams in the East this season. 

Pick: Pistons +3.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

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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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