Detroit Pistons vs Knicks Prediction Roundup Ahead of Game 1

Could the Pistons pull off an upset against the Knicks in the NBA Playoffs?

Feb 26, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives to the basket against New York Knicks center Jericho Sims (45) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

On Saturday night, the Detroit Pistons are going to take the court at Madison Square Garden to go head-to-head with the New York Knicks.

This year, the Pistons have had plenty of success against the Knicks, especially on the road. In four matchups, the Knicks came up short all but one time, even dropping both of their games at home.

Still, the Knicks are the higher seed on Saturday heading into Game 1. The sportsbooks have them favored, and a prediction roundup of local and national publications suggests that the hoops world is not all that confident in the Pistons putting up a good enough fight to pull off the upset.

Feb 26, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) argues with referee James Williams (60) between the third and fourth quarters against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Pistons vs Knicks Prediction Roundup

The Locals

The Detroit Free Press gathered predictions from three writers on staff. While there is a little bit of confidence in the hometown team winning, a 1-3 poll went in favor of the Knicks winning the series.

Looking at the New York Post, there isn’t any confidence in a Pistons upset. With six writers dishing out their thoughts, everybody picked the Pistons to be one-and-done, giving the Knicks a clean sweep with all six votes in their favor.

The National

ESPN’s results had Pistons fans embracing the underdog mentality all week. With 11 votes being placed, not a single one went in favor of the Pistons. The national media still seems to be treating the Pistons more like a feel-good story, less like a real playoff contender.

Jan 13, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to pass the ball against Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Where’s the Detroit Love?

Being in the playoffs for the first time since the 2020s started, the Pistons are the new kids on the block once again. Since they are a young team facing a seasoned squad with multiple All-Stars on it, there’s are a lot of skeptics out there, who believe the moment might be a little too big for Cade Cunningham and his team right now.

The only way to find out if that’s true or not is to see how the series plays out. For what it’s worth, not many are predicting a sweep—not even the gentleman’s kind. In fact, Detroit has received a lot of support as a team that is expected to wear down the Knicks in round one with their grit and grind style. The skepticism comes from the young team’s ability to finish.

The Pistons and the Knicks will begin Game 1 at 6 PM ET on Saturday.