DETROIT – The Detroit Pistons are on the brink of elimination, and they will be without center Isaiah Stewart, who was seen at shootaround ahead of Game 6 vs. the New York Knicks.
On Thursday (May 1), Local 4 got practice footage of the team, where Stewart was seen putting up shots and grabbing rebounds in front of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the rest of the higher-ups, who’ve missed his presence dearly as Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns has been dominating their frontcourt through five games.
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Stewart has been out due to right knee inflammation since the final two games of the regular season, which he missed.
After missing the final two games of the regular season, Stewart had a full week to recover before the Knicks awaited them inside Madison Square Garden in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Beef Stew wasn’t on the injury report ahead of Game 1, where he played 18 minutes.
His presence filled the arena off the rip, and the Knicks fans filled MSG with jeers when he touched the court.
During that matchup, he recorded five rebounds and two blocks, but he was held out of the action for the remainder of the fourth quarter as the Knicks went on a 21-0 run en route to a 123-112 victory.
The defensive impact from Stewart was clear, as he recorded five rebounds and registered two blocks.
Despite being a plus-eight in 18 minutes of action, Stewart was held out for most of the fourth quarter, even when the Knicks went on a major run to form a comeback against the Pistons.
After the game, Bickerstaff said Stewart missed the fourth quarter due to his knee.
Following an MRI ahead of Game 2, he was ruled out.
Although the Pistons took Game 2 without Stewart, his presence has truly been missed as Towns has been a menace on both ends of the floor.
Look for Paul Reed to step in as the Pistons fight to stave off elimination.
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