Filip Tomic
Game 1 between the Pistons and Knicks lived up to the hype, Monday night brings us another duel at Madison Square Garden. I’ve gone in-depth and prepared a +449 odds Same Game Parlay, which is available below. Get predictions on the side and total for select NBA Playoffs games on our NBA Picks page, but without wasting any more time let’s dive into my Pistons vs Knicks Game 2 SGP!
NY Knicks -6.5 Point Spread (-114)
Karl-Anthony Towns to Record 10+ Rebounds (-360)
Tobias Harris 2+ Made Threes (+130)
Same Game Parlay odds: +449
NY Knicks -6.5 (-114)
It took the Knicks a bit to get going in their series opener vs Detroit, but things settled into place eventually as they took down the Pistons by 11 points. Detroit was in front most of the game, leading by as many as 9 points before the Knicks went on a 21-0 run in the final frame to take the lead for good. The Pistons will be kicking themselves for letting that game slip away from them, they might not get a better opportunity to steal one on the road against the much more experienced Knicks. Turnovers down the stretch were the main reason why they lost that game, Cade Cunningham had 6 of them.
I liked what I saw from New York on Saturday. Despite not being able to take control of the game early, they stuck with it and caught the young and inexperienced Pistons sleeping early in the 4th quarter. Jalen Brunson looks like he hasn’t missed a beat after his ankle injury, while OG Anunoby and KAT continued their solid production on offense from the regular season. Changes will be made in Game 2 by both sides, especially in the way they approach this game. I doubt the Pistons will have 3 players other than Cade Cunningham score 20+ games again on Monday, until this series moves to the Motor City I’ll be all over the Knicks.
Karl-Anthony Towns to Record 10+ Rebounds (-360)
The battle on the boards was a tough one in Game 1 as the Pistons won it narrowly 37-36. The 11 offensive rebounds stuck out while reading the box scores, the Knicks will have to do a much better job on the interior if they plan on winning Game 2. I’m looking at Karl-Anthony Towns to continue his stellar play on the glass. He’s been unstoppable as of late, grabbing double-digit boards in 12 straight games while averaging 11.7 per game. His size and strength down low has been an issue for Detroit over the past 4 meetings, with him collecting 10+ rebounds in every single game. Having Mitchell Robinson besides him has been of great help for Towns, the duo will once again look to exploit the Pistons weaknesses at the center position. No team in the league gives up more rebounds to opposing centers than Detroit, as the series goes on that will become more evident. This should be an easy bet for Game 2.
Tobias Harris 2+ Made Threes (+130)
Tobias Harris was locked in on Saturday, especially on offense where he made 8-of-13 shots to lead the Pistons with 25 points scored. Four of those shots were from beyond-the-arc, as he failed to convert just one three point attempt. There’s something about playing the Knicks that gets him going – he’s averaging 15.8 points in the 5 meetings since coming over to the Pistons. He’s been lights out from three-point land in those 5 games, knocking down 52.6% of his attempts on exactly 2 makes per game. In his last 2 games against them he’s scored 4 and 3 threes, so we’re getting quite a solid price for him to do it a 3rd game in a row. New York’s perimeter defense might actually be their biggest flaw this season. They ranked just 26th in opponent three-point percentage, with 36.8% of shots going in. That number is up to 38.8% in their last 3 games, while in the series opener we saw the Pistons shoot 46.9% from three. I’m counting on the seasoned veteran to once again step up his game for this young Pistons team making its first appearance in the Playoffs since 2019.
