After an upset win on the road, the Detroit Pistons look to stay alive again in Thursday’s Game 6 versus the New York Knicks.
The pregame narrative: Despite trailing the series 3-2, the upstart Pistons have been the better team for significant stretches. Both clubs enter Game 6 hoping to turn around some poor shooting over the past two games.
My +450 SGP also features prop bets on Karl-Anthony Towns, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. Check out my Knicks vs. Pistons playoff SGP predictions for Game 6 on May 1.
Knicks vs. Pistons predictions
Parlay: Pistons +3.5 | Towns 20+ points | Cunningham 8+ assists | Duren under 12.5 points (+460)
Pistons +3.5 (-210): The fourth quarter of Game 1 went haywire on Detroit, as the team turned a nine-point lead into a 13-point deficit in less than five minutes.
Some might’ve chalked that up to the young Pistons’ playoff inexperience, and maybe that’s fair. But they’ve learned quickly.
Detroit is 2-2 since then, dropping a pair of games by a combined three points. After a controversial non-call went against the Pistons at the end of Game 4, they responded by going into Madison Square Garden and staving off elimination.
It’s been a tight, physical series, and I could see yet another game decided on the final shot. I like Detroit to win outright, but I’ll buy some points for this SGP.
NBA SGP legs
Towns 20+ points (-250): The Knicks had a weirdly balanced scoring night in Game 5, with all five starters scoring between 15 and 19 points.
Assuming that anomaly doesn’t carry forward, Towns is as good a pick as any to step up in the scoring department.
- Towns was at his best on the road in Games 3 and 4, scoring 58 total points while shooting 9-for-15 from 3-point range.
- On the season, Towns has 20+ points in 6 of 8 games against the Pistons.
Foul trouble is the primary risk for KAT, who has finished with five fouls in back-to-back games.
But as someone who has only fouled out twice since December, Towns seems to know where to draw the line.
Cunningham 8+ assists (-286): Cunningham has been justifiably ball-dominant in this series, leading the Pistons in minutes, shots, points, assists, steals and turnovers.
There are several ways to back the former No. 1 overall pick, and this is what I’ve landed on.
Since December, Cunningham has averaged 8.9 APG in eight games against the Knicks — cashing this bet six times.
When the series was last in Detroit for Games 3 and 4, he tallied double-digit assists in both games.
Cunningham is averaging 18.4 potential assists per game, which denotes the number of passes that lead directly to a shot. That’s No. 2 among all playoff performers, and it means he should hit this milestone almost every night.
Duren under 12.5 points (-132): No matter what happens tonight, Duren is giving Pistons fans a lot to be excited about moving forward.
The 21-year-old is averaging a double-double in his first playoff round while posting a series-best 11.6 RPG.
I do still think there’s room to give him flowers and fade him at the same time, though. Detroit is just not asking the big man to do a lot on the offensive end.
- Duren has attempted just 31 shots through five games. That’s the fewest of Detroit’s seven rotation players.
- He has gone under 12.5 points in 4 of 5 games.
New York was tough on centres all year, according to Betting Pros, allowing the third-fewest points to the position during the regular season.
Knicks vs. Pistons predictions made at 9:15 a.m. ET 05/01/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.