The 2025 NBA playoffs continue on Thursday when the No. 3 seed New York Knicks travel to take on the No. 6 seed Detroit Pistons for Game 3 of a first-round series in the Eastern Conference. Detroit evened the series with a 100-94 win at Madison Square Garden on Monday and will now hope to take control at home. Cade Cunningham had 33 points and 12 rebounds to lead Detroit to victory. The former No. 1 overall pick will look to usher in a new era of playoff prosperity in the Motor City, as the Pistons seek their first playoff series win since 2008.
Tip-off from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Knicks are 1-point favorites in the latest Pistons vs. Knicks odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 213.5. Before making any Knicks vs. Pistons picks, make sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters the first full week of the 2025 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 156-116 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It is also 22-11 (67%) on top-rated NBA against-the-spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has simulated Pistons vs. Knicks 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Knicks vs. Pistons:
- Knicks vs. Pistons spread: New York -1 at DraftKings
- Knicks vs. Pistons over/under: 213.5 points
- Knicks vs. Pistons money line: New York -118, Detroit -102
- DET: The Pistons are 3-6 ATS in their last nine games at home
- NYK: The Knicks are 1-4 ATS in their past five games against Detroit
- Knicks vs. Pistons picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Knicks vs. Pistons streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Knicks can cover
Jalen Brunson poured in 37 points and dished out seven assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a generally poor night offensively for the Knicks. New York went 10-for-35 (28.6%) from the 3-point line and got outrebounded 48-34, paving the way for the loss. However, the Knicks are typically better from beyond the arc and on the offensive glass, ranking eighth in 3-point shooting (36.9%) and 12th in offensive rebounding percentage (26.0%) during the regular season.
They’ll look to get those issues squared away and Karl-Anthony Towns will be critical in both regards. He went 10-for-14 and finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocked shots in the Game 1 win, but only had 10 points and six rebounds in the Game 2 loss. New York has won eight of its last nine in Detroit and is 10-5 against the spread over its last 15 games. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Why the Pistons can cover
The Pistons will be looking for Cunningham to continue his breakthrough season to advance. He made his first NBA All-Star team and finished the season averaging 26.1 points, 9.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game. Cunningham had 21 points and 12 assists in the Game 1 loss in New York and then followed that up with another double-double to lift Detroit to victory in Game 2.
Cunningham also had 36 points and eight assists in a 115-106 win over the Knicks late in the regular season and registered a 29-15-10 triple-double in a win at Madison Square Garden in December. Tobias Harris has also had a productive series, averaging 20.0 points and 9.5 rebounds over the first two games. He’s connecting on 58.3% of his shots from the floor and 55.6% from beyond the arc. See which team to back at SportsLine.
How to make Pistons vs. Knicks picks
SportsLine’s model has simulated Knicks vs. Pistons 10,000 times and is leaning Over the total, projecting 217 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks.
So who wins Pistons vs. Knicks, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Knicks vs. Pistons spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
