The New York Knicks can eliminate the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden tonight.
The pregame narrative: New York went into Motor City with the series tied and exited with a pair of nail-biting wins. I expect the Pistons to keep things close with their season on the line and am backing Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to produce.
Check out my Knicks vs. Pistons playoff SGP predictions for Game 5 on April 29.
Knicks vs. Pistons predictions
Parlay: Pistons +10.5 | Towns 20+ points | Bridges over 6.5 rebounds/assists (+280)
Pistons +10.5 (-275): Call it playoff inexperience or call it bad luck, but the Pistons have to be shell-shocked heading into MSG on the brink of elimination.
Detroit blew an eight-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1 and lost its home games by a combined three points. Game 4 ended controversially, too, after a missed foul at the buzzer would’ve sent Tim Hardaway Jr. to the line with an opportunity to win.
Detroit’s chances of winning this series might be shot, but the reality is, the Pistons have been every bit as good as their opponent through four games.
JB Bickerstaff has instilled a dogged culture in the locker room, and I can’t picture the Knicks securing an easy win on Tuesday.
Detroit has covered this number in six of its last seven games vs. New York.
NBA SGP legs
Towns 20+ points (-275): The Knicks have a better chance of winning when Towns is active.
The big man took a combined 25 shots through the first two games of this series, and New York hit the road with a 1-1 split.
He still cleared this line in Game 1, though, thanks to an efficient 10-of-14 shooting performance.
KAT turned up the heat on the road, scoring 31 and 27 points while taking 41 combined shots. He also took 15 three-point attempts in Games 3 and 4 after shooting just five in Games 1 and 2.
Detroit ceded the 12th-most points and fourth-most 3s per game to the centres during the regular season, according to Fantasy Pros, so there’s plenty of incentive for him to keep firing.
Towns is 6-1 against this line vs. the Pistons this season.
Bridges over 6.5 rebounds/assists (-121): Bridges has cleared this line in back-to-back games and is a good bet to keep things rolling.
Like all of New York’s starters, the 6-foot-6 small forward plays huge minutes, which naturally leads to plenty of opportunities.
Bridges averaged 3.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists during the final 10 games of the regular season, clearing this line eight times.
That includes a game against the Pistons on April 10 (two rebounds, seven assists) with Jalen Brunson in the lineup.
Knicks vs. Pistons predictions made at 2:15 p.m. ET 04/29/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.