Filip Tomic
Tuesday brings us 3 potential elimination games in the NBA Playoffs and my focus is on the Pistons vs Knicks clash at Madison Square Garden. Catch the action live from 7.30 pm ET on TNT, I’ve come up with my 3 favorite bets and combined them in a +839 odds Same Game Parlay. Get predictions on the side and total for all NBA Playoffs games on our NBA Picks page, but without wasting any more time let’s dive into my Pistons vs Knicks bet!
DET Pistons ML (+194)
Dennis Schröder Over 10.5 Points (-108)
Tim Hardaway Jr. Over 2.5 Made Threes (-152)
Same Game Parlay odds: +839
DET Pistons ML (+194)
Along with the Clippers vs Nuggets series, the one between the Pistons and Knicks has been one of the more entertaining in the 1st Round of the postseason. The last two games went down the wire and they could have gone either way when you think about it. The Pistons were very unlucky to lose Game 4 after a controversial ending in which a foul was not called on a three-point attempt as time expired. Now the series switches over to Madison Square Garden and all the pressure is on the Knicks to close out. But, I am of the opinion that this series is far from over.
Detroit has already won at MSG once in this series, plus they won both regular season meetings there by 9 and 5 points. We are now entering uncharted territory for most of these Pistons players, you won’t find many Game 5 elimination scenarios on their resumes, but don’t let that discourage you from backing the road team here. They led by 9 points in Game 1 and by as many as 16 in Game 4, both of which they lost due to a lack of experience playing in big moment, but also some big shots hit down the stretch by KAT and others. The road team has gone on to win 3 of the 4 games in the series, I’m willing to risk it and give the Pistons the benefit of the doubt and back them to bring this series back to the Motor City for a Game 6.
Dennis Schröder Over 10.5 Points (-108)
Veteran players like Dennis Schröder and Tobias Harris are one of the rare ones with experience playing in games like these, so I expect their roles to expand significantly with the Pistons season on the line here. Schröder has impressed in this series averaging 13 points per game in just 28 minutes a night, contributing with some big shots down the stretch when it matters the most. His defense on Jalen Brunson could also be a factor here, don’t be surprised if he logs 30+ minutes on Tuesday. Since the 2015-16 season he has played in 7 elimination games and his averages read 17.3 points, 4.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. He’s cleared this line in all 7 of those games, while against the Knicks he’s averaging 11.3 per game in the last 10 games head-to-head. In the sole win at MSG in Game 2 of this series he played a vital role alongside Cade Cunningham scoring 20 points, there’s no way the Pistons are surviving here without a solid performance by him.
Tim Hardaway Jr. Over 2.5 Made Threes (-152)
You just know Tim Hardaway Jr. will be fired up to do well against his former team after that controversial no-call in the final moments of Game 4. Even the refs admitted in their report after the game that there was significant contact made and a foul should have been called, that would have put Hardaway Jr. on the line for 3 free throws with the Pistons down by just a single point. That ending shouldn’t stay in the mind of the 33-year old for long though, his team needs him to perform in Game 5 if they want to force a Game 6 here. Apart from a sub-par performance in Game 2, Hardaway has actually been a reliable option for the Pistons in this series scoring 19, 24 and 14 in the 3 other games. He’s cleared this line in all 3 of those games, if it wasn’t for Game 2 his efficiency from three would have been at 42% for the series. For his career he’s played in 5 elimination games so far, the most recent ones being in the NBA Finals last season against the Celtics. He’s scored 10+ points in 4 of those 5 games, while averaging 2 made threes per game. I’m confident he can up that to 3 made vs a Knicks defense that’s struggled defending the three-ball all year long – they ranked just 25th in opponent three-point efficiency allowing 36.6% of shots to go in.
