© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Knicks vs. Pistons Preview: How, Who to Watch With Chance at 3rd Place
The New York Knicks can move into the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed with a win over the woebegone Detroit Pistons on Monday.
As injuries try to drag them down, the New York Knicks continue to rise.
Winners of four of their past five, the ailing yet surging Knicks can move into the Eastern Conference's third playoff slot with a win and a Cleveland loss on Monday night. New York's task is, on paper, rather simple, as they face the long-doomed Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden in the latter half of a two-game homestand.
Still missing OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks have nonetheless kept pace with the non-Boston portions of the East's elite by winning all but one part of a four-game Western swing before bashing the Brooklyn Nets in Manhattan on Saturday. With the win, the Knicks secured consecutive winning seasons in (what's presumed to be) fully 82-game slates for the first time since 2000-01.
Standing in their way on Monday are the Pistons, who have fallen back to the bottom of the Eastern standings thanks to an active six-game losing streak. Despite Detroit's downtrodden state, the Knicks can't afford to overlook them: despite falling on each occasion, the Pistons have given New York a game in each of their prior two meetings this season. The Knicks took the prior matchup by only two points back on Feb. 26 at MSG, a decision the Pistons angrily claimed was aided by officials due to a questionable call (or lack thereof) in the final stages. New York will go for its 15th consecutive victory over Detroit, which would earn it a sweep of the annual series for the fourth consecutive season.
What: Detroit Pistons (12-59) @ New York Knicks (42-28)
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
When/Watch: Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG
Who's Favored: NYK -16.5
Keep An Eye On: Bojan Bogdanovic
The Knicks and Pistons' modern relationship is partly built on a February trade that sent Bogdanovic and Alec Burks east in exchange for a package headlined by Quentin Grimes. Detroit's yield is relatively inconsequential in the grand scheme of thngs, as Grimes has basically had the benefit of struggling in obscurity. The Knicks' intentions, however, have yet to pan out on the bigger picture of the postseason, as both Bogdanovic and Burks have struggled to fill the bench scoring void left behind by Immanuel Quickley's earlier departure. Though Miles McBride (temporarily starting) has been happy to take over that role, Bogdanovic may be reaching a boiling point after playing only seven minutes in Saturday's win over Brooklyn. Is a visit from his former employers enough to provide a spark?
Feb 26, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Evan Fournier (31) controls the ball
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Piston to Watch: Evan Fournier
If anyone has benefited from the otherwise doomed trade deadline deal between the Knicks and Pistons, it's undoubtedly Fournier, who has gotten a chance to reclaim the narrative on his NBA career. Free from Tom Thibodeau-induced exile, Fournier has wasted no time getting back into the three-point swing of things, trying over four a game since March 3 now that he's averaging over 17 minutes. The success rate has been another story (24.5 percent in that 12-game span) but Detroit's relative success against the talented Knicks sets the stage for an inspired revenge game. Tough as it has been, Fournier provd that his outside prowess can make a difference: in a holiday showdown with Miami on March 17, Fournier tallied 18 points on 4-of-8 from deep in a narrow defeat.
They Said It
"There’s nothing that you don’t love about Deuce. From the moment we drafted him and even when he wasn’t playing, that tells you a lot because of the way he worked. A guy’s work ethic is a big part of it, too. His drive … so it’s a credit to him. He’s in phenomenal shape. He stays in phenomenal shape. He takes care of himself. So I think he has the ability to do it."-head coach Tom Thibodeau on Miles McBride's expanded role (h/t Bridget Reilly, New York Post)
Prediction
Little more needs to be said about the way the Knicks have taken advantage of less fortunate competition, even if they've kept things alarmingly close against the lowly Pistons. In a season that has been built on New York doing ordinary things extraordinarily well, there's a unique opportunity to make a statement on Monday night.
