Detroit Pistons set for potential playoff preview in matchup vs. Knicks amid two-game skid

DETROIT – The Detroit Pistons are on a two-game losing streak as they’re preparing to take on the New York Knicks inside Little Caesars Arena.

Thursday’s (April 10) game is a potential first-round NBA Playoff preview as the two-game skid has firmly placed the Pistons in the No. 6 seed with three games remaining, including the Knickerbockers, who sit firmly as the No. 3 seed.

Detroit (43-36) is sitting two games back of the No. 5 seed Milwaukee Bucks, who are currently riding a five-game winning streak.

On the other hand, the Pistons have lost four of their last five games down the stretch.

“We got to understand that the job isn’t finished. We haven’t done anything yet. Obviously, we clinched, but that’s where it starts.

We got to lock back in and get that chip back on our shoulder like we had coming into the season when nobody really believed. Now that we’ve done a little bit, we’ve got to kind of get that edge back."

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren

But two of their remaining three games are against the Pistons to end the regular season for potential seeding implications.

With the Bucks looking like a fine-tuned machine, the Pistons will likely be facing New York in their first playoff appearance since the 2018-19 season.

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Pistons/Knicks preview

In the history of the NBA, the Pistons and the Knicks have matched up against one another 79 times since 2004, when Detroit won its last championship.

In those 79 games, the Knicks hold a 44-35 record, with Detroit winning their last two matchups to bring the deficit to nine games.

In those previous two matchups, Detroit, led by SLAM cover athlete and first-time All-Star guard Cade Cunningham dropped 36 points, four assists, and two rebounds to dazzle the Madison Square Garden fans in a 124-119 victory.

In that matchup, the Knicks threw two bodies at Cunningham in the game’s final seconds, causing him to give up the ball, leading to a former Knickerbocker, Tim Hardaway Jr., drive and kick to a wide-open Malik Beasley corner three to take a 121-117 lead with 39.1 seconds left.

Then, up 121-119 with the shot clock under nine seconds and the game clock under 16 seconds, the Pistons ran the same flare screen they ran previously, except this time, instead of a drive and kick, Hardaway Jr. got the pass from Cunningham, set his feet for a wide open three-pointer, drawing the defender, causing him to swing the ball to Beasley for another dagger corner three to take a 124-119 lead with 6.3 seconds remaining.

Beasley, who finished with 22 points, hit his wiggle to the dismay of the New York fans.

During their Dec. 7, 2024 matchup in MSG, Cunningham had a 29-point, 15-assist and 10-rebound triple-double to help lead the Pistons to a 120-111 victory.

Beasley dropped 23 points off the bench, and the now-injured Jaden Ivey chipped in with 16 points to help Detroit snap a three-game losing streak.

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Prior to those two victories, the Knicks had a 15-game winning streak vs. the Pistons.

Potential Playoff Matchup

The duel between the two franchises is becoming a more than likely matchup with both teams potentially securing the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds in the Eastern Conference.

In that potential series, the Knicks, who will have All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns along with OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and P.J. Tucker, will be favored in the matchup with head coach Tom Thibodeau pulling the strings.

First, a team with Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Beasley, Ausar Thompson, Dennis Schröder, Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland II, Simone Fontecchio and Marcus Sasser will need to snap out of their recent cold streaks as a team led by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff who said it’s important to be playing well before entering the postseason.

“It’s important to be playing well regardless of the results, we want to be playing good basketball. I don’t think we’ve played our best these past couple of games.

Obviously, we’ve had some so rotational things and guys being out, but wanting to get the group back together and letting them get comfortable and let them get confident.

But, it’s important for us to be playing well as we go into the post season."

Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff

The potential first-round playoff preview with the Knicks will tip off Thursday night, April 10, at 7 p.m. inside LCA.

As an added note, although they’re struggling, the Pistons have allowed opponents to shoot 46% from the field this season, which is the eighth best in the National Basketball Association.

Plus, they could be getting small forward Tobias Harris back from a heel injury that caused him to miss the last three games for the Knicks matchup, as he was seen practicing Wednesday afternoon with guard Daniss Jenkins.