All Pistons

Key Knicks Player Returns From Injury Ahead of Detroit Pistons Matchup

A key Knicks player is back in the mix ahead of Saturday's game against the Pistons.
Justin Grasso|
Feb 26, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) looks to pass the ball against New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) looks to pass the ball against New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In this story:

Detroit PistonsNew York Knicks

After a two-day break, the Detroit Pistons will return to the floor on Saturday night for a matchup with the New York Knicks. On Thursday, the Knicks had a key player return to action ahead of their battle against the Charlotte Hornets.

Precious Achiuwa has been dealing with a hamstring strain since the start of the 2024-2025 NBA season. Ahead of Thursday’s game, the veteran planned to warm up with intentions of making his debut. Sure enough, he did.

Checking in off the bench for a little over 12 minutes, Achiuwa eased his way back into action. The veteran made just one of his four shots from the field, scoring two points. He also collected four rebounds and dished out one assist.

New York dominated its Thursday matchup against the Hornets. To advance to 14-8 on the year, the Knicks came away with a 125-101 victory.

This season, the Knicks have benefitted from the offseason blockbuster trade for Karl Anthony-Towns, but they have still lacked depth in the front court. With injuries to Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks have eyed December as a month that both veterans could be back in action.

Fortunately for them, Achiuwa is making his way back and could be in the mix on Saturday night when the Pistons and the Knicks battle it out.

Lately, Detroit has struggled a lot. After an impressive victory over the Indiana Pacers last Friday, Detroit suffered a blowout loss against the Philadelphia 76ers. Then, in their NBA Cup action against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Pistons fell short with another double-digit loss.

A Wednesday night matchup against the Boston Celtics didn’t go their way either. At this point, the Pistons are on a three-game skid and have lost seven of their last ten games. Their next matchup comes against a Knicks team that’s on a four-game win streak and has already found success over the Pistons this year.

On November 1, the Knicks visited the Pistons and laid a 128-98 beatdown. New York has 16 straight wins over the Pistons at this point.

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

Share on XFollow JGrasso_
Home/News