Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks Preview, Prediction, TV Channel, Injury Report, Scouting Report

The Pistons get another shot at the New York Knicks, only this time it looks like they’ll have a face familiar to the Knicks making his season debut.

As of recently, it’s been a rough go for the Detroit Pistons against the New York Knicks. Detroit has lost nine straight games to New York. That ties the longest winning streak the Knicks have ever had in their series against the Pistons. Will tonight’s matchup spell the end of that streak or continue New York’s recent dominance?

Detroit comes into Madison Square Garden off a short plane ride from their 128-112 loss to the Boston Celtics. It was an ugly game all-around for the Pistons as they couldn’t knock down their open shots early and weren’t able to stop the Celtics' perimeter shooting. Cade Cunningham had arguably his worst game since some of his first games last season. He finished with just 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists off of 1-11 shooting from the field. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one with poor shooting as the team shot 41.6% from the field and 21.2% from three. The only positives from the game were Jaden Ivey’s spectacular first-half double-double and Killian Hayes’ uncharacteristic aggressiveness resulting in 16 points.

Similar to the Pistons, the Knicks had a rough Wednesday as they lost to the neighboring Brooklyn Nets 112-85. The Nets got off to a blazing start leading 38-22 after the first quarter and never looked back. Like Detroit, the shots simply weren’t going down for New York, shooting 32.2% from the field. Julius Randle finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Brunson and Barrett had 14 and 16 respectively. It was an uncharacteristic night for what has been one of the best benches in the league so far this season, as the Knicks bench accounted for just 24 points.

HOW TO WATCH

When: 7:30 PM EST

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York

TV: Bally Sports Detroit & MSG Network

INJURY REPORT

Pistons:

• Alec Burks (foot) - PROBABLE
• Cade Cunningham (shin soreness) - QUESTIONABLE
• Marvin Bagley III (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
• Hamidou Diallo (hip) - QUESTIONABLE

Knicks:

• Quentin Grimes (foot) - PROBABLE
• Mitchell Robinson (knee) - OUT

SCOUTING REPORT

As inconspicuous as this game between the 3-9 Pistons and 5-6 Knicks may feel, there is a lot to look forward to in this matchup. First, Detroit fans will likely get their first look at Alec Burks in a Pistons uniform. Not only will it be his Pistons debut, but also it will be against the team that dealt him in June along with Nerlens Noel to free up $20 million in cap space. Burks has missed the first 12 games of the season rehabbing from a navicular fracture (a fracture in the middle of his foot) that he had surgery for in June.

Despite never being a consistent starter in the league, Burks has presented decent value to every team he’s been on. He was a huge part of the Knicks' run to the playoffs in 2021 averaging 12.7 points off the bench including a 27-point performance in game 1 of their series against Atlanta. Burks will be an immediate impact for the Pistons bench that has been one of the worst in the league. Detroit’s second unit is ranked second to last in the NBA, scoring just 25.1 points per game. Meanwhile, the Knicks have had one of the league’s best benches averaging 38.7 points a game. It’s a clear disparity the Pistons will have to fight tonight, and perhaps the man who used to dress for the big apple can be of major help.

In addition to Alec Burks, another storyline to watch on the Pistons bench will be Killian Hayes. He had his best game of the season Wednesday night, with 16 points off of 7-12 shooting. For a player who came into the game averaging 5.5 shot attempts per game, it was a clear shift in aggressiveness. The 2020 No. 7 pick seemed confident on the court, willing to go into isos later in the game to get to his spots. He even hit a step-back jumper on Jayson Tatum. However, Pistons fans have seen this before as right when it seems Hayes could be onto something, he goes back to his old, passive ways. There is no doubt about it, tonight Dwane Casey will be looking for something from Hayes and he will need to start stringing solid games together for the future of his career not only in Detroit, but in the NBA.

PREDICTION

Detroit Pistons 107, Knicks 118