Pistons vs. Knicks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Playoffs Game 5

The Knicks are favored to close out their first-round series with the Pistons in Game 5.

The Pistons are underdogs in Game 5. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Can the New York Knicks advance to the second round on Tuesday night?

New York won a wild Game 4 in Detroit on Sunday, riding 23 combined points from Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns in the fourth quarter to erase a double-digit deficit. 

The Pistons have fought hard in this series, outscoring the Knicks by three points over the last three games despite going 1-2 in those matchups. Oddsmakers are expecting yet another close game in Game 5, as the Knicks are favored by just 5.5 points at home.

Last season, New York was in the same spot in the first round and ended up losing to the Philadelphia 76ers, forcing a Game 6 in Philly. Can Tom Thibodeau’s team avoid that on Tuesday?

Here’s a breakdown of this matchup, including the latest odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Game 5. 

Pistons vs. Knicks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Pistons +5.5 (-112)
• Knicks -5.5 (-108)

Moneyline

• Pistons: +185
• Knicks: -225

Total

• 213.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Pistons vs. Knicks How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, April 29
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Madison Square Garden
• How to Watch (TV): TNT
• Series: Knicks lead 3-1

Pistons vs. Knicks Injury Reports

Pistons Injury Report

• Isaiah Stewart – questionable
• Jaden Ivey – out

Knicks Injury Report

• None to report

Pistons vs. Knicks Best NBA Prop Bets

Detroit Pistons Best NBA Prop Bet

• Dennis Schroder UNDER 3.5 Assists (-120)

Dennis Schroder has been really solid for Detroit in this series, but he’s yet to clear 3.5 assists in a single game. 

Schroder averaged 5.3 assists per game after his trade to Detroit, but the Knicks have done a good job of limiting him as a passer in this series. A big part of that is Cade Cunningham playing even more minutes, taking the ball out of Schroder’s hands as the primary playmaker in many instances.

Schroder is averaging just 5.5 potential assists per game in this series, making him really hard to trust to get four or more on Tuesday.  

New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jalen Brunson OVER 29.5 Points (-125)

This postseason, only Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging more points per game than Jalen Brunson.

Brunson is shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from beyond the arc while putting up 33.3 points per night.

The Knicks star has taken at least 20 shots in each game in the playoffs, including 27 in Games 1 and 2 and 26 in Game 4. He’s also been elite late in games, scoring 53 fourth-quarter points while shooting 20-for-32 from the field. Pretty insane. 

The NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year should be in line for another massive workload against a Pistons defense that hasn’t been able to contain him in this series. Brunson has scored 30-plus points in every game. 

Pistons vs. Knicks Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why the Pistons are worth a bet at this price in Game 5: 

The Knicks-Pistons matchup has been much closer than the 3-1 lead for New York suggests.

The Knicks rallied in Game 1 by putting together a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter before losing Game 2 by six points – they had a chance to tie in the final seconds – in New York. Then, the Knicks picked up wins by two points and one point in Detroit.

So, just about every game has hovered around this number, and I don’t expect that this scrappy Pistons team will go quietly at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

The difference in this series has been the Knicks’ fourth-quarter execution, as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were flawless in Game 4, combining for 23 fourth-quarter points.

Brunson overall has been unreal in the fourth, scoring 53 points while dishing out eight assists and shooting 20-for-32 from the field. He did win Clutch Player of the Year for a reason.

However, I think the Pistons will be able to keep this game close, as they’ve covered this number in all but one game in this series. The Knicks may win, but as we’ve seen in the last two New York playoff runs, one possession wins are becoming the norm for Tom Thibodeau’s squad.

This is too many points to give Detroit considering it has a net rating of just -1.2 points per 100 possessions worse than the Knicks in this series. 

Pick: Pistons +5.5 (-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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