The surprise No. 6-seeded Detroit Pistons seek to pick up their first NBA playoff victory since 2008 on Saturday when they travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the No. 3 New York Knicks, and we’ve got you covered with three expert player prop picks for this Game 1 showdown.
Here’s an in-depth look at those player props, including an OVER at plus money for a 3-pointers made prop by Karl-Anthony Towns (+230) on April 19.
Series Preview: No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons
Game Preview: Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks, 6 p.m. ET
Karl-Anthony Towns OVER 2.5 Made 3-Pointers vs. Pistons (+230 at FanDuel)
The Knicks were the darlings of last year’s postseason, battling through injuries and bestowing heavy minutes upon the remaining starters before bowing out in the second round. Expectations are higher this time around with Towns in the fold, and Saturday’s opener with Detroit is the ideal moment for the All-Star center to remind the basketball world and the raucous New York crowd why the franchise brought him aboard in the first place.
His 3-pointers prop is set by oddsmakers at 1.5 with -136 value, but that’s not good enough for our liking considering the success Towns had from distance against the Pistons throughout the regular season. We’re going with an alternative bet to boost the number to 2.5 makes with +230 upside instead, as the 7-footer buried three and four 3-pointers in his first two meetings, respectively, although he put up a goose egg the third and final time he played them on April 6 with just one long-range attempt.
Towns’ perimeter efficiency was superb at home at a blistering 41.6 percent, and Detroit ranked 26th across the Association in 3-point percentage by opposing centers, according to Odds Shark’s metrics. It’s a big gamble to take for a Game 1 as both teams seek to feel each other out, but the Pistons aren’t exactly a world beater and Towns will have the crowd on his side which could inspire his shotmaking.
O.G. Anunoby UNDER 16.5 Points vs. Pistons (-114 at FanDuel)
O.G. Anunoby was initially acquired to be a 3-and-D guy who can stretch the floor and lock down the likes of Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, and other elite wings should New York advance far in the postseason. Now he did just that in his first full year in the Bronx, but in averaging a career-best 18 points per contest, Anunoby proved that he could be more than that and then some serving as a third or fourth option behind Jalen Brunson, Towns, and occasionally Mikal Bridges.
With that being said, though, we’re still betting on the UNDER for 16.5 points on Saturday and for good reason. Anunoby ranked fifth on the team in scoring when taking on Detroit at home this past season at 13.5 points, and he only shot 20 percent from 3-point range in those outings. He also reached an UNDER in his last two games of the season despite totalling 76 minutes of action, and for what it’s worth, averaged 10.5 points through the first two games of last year’s playoffs, as well.
There’s a pecking order when it comes to the Knicks’ offensive attack, and with it now being the postseason, we’re anticipating even greater returns from both Brunson and Towns as Anunoby’s numbers are kept in check. That may not be the case for the entirety of the series, but early on, we’re electing to err on the side of caution.
Cade Cunningham OVER 37.5 Points + Assists (-106 at FanDuel)
The continued ascension of fourth-year pro Cade Cunningham towards superstardom was one of the more unheralded stories of 2024-25, perhaps due to the fact that a vast majority didn’t follow the Pistons’ rise up the standings as it unfolded until it became too difficult to ignore. This series with New York should further cement Cunningham’s status as one of the next faces of the league, and that all gets underway Saturday with what’s projected to be a stuffed box score.
Going off for a combined 38 points and assists would be a tall task for most players, but Cunningham accomplished that 47.1-percent of the time (33 of 70) this season even after going OVER just twice in his first 16 games. Most importantly, though, is that the 23-year-old went OVER in his three most recent games versus the Knicks, dishing out 15 assists on Dec. 7 and scoring exactly 36 points the other two times.
New York head coach Tom Thibodeau is going to throw all of the resources he has to halt Cunningham as much as humanly possible, but as we’ve seen time and time again, the first-time All-Star seems to have an answer for everything. Averaging 32.5 points in two appearances at the historic MSG is truly incredible production and in no ways a fluke, which is why we’re trusting our units in Cunningham to deliver the goods one more time (at least) in Game 1.
