The New York Knicks own a 1-0 lead over the Detroit Pistons in their best-of-seven first round series in the 2025 NBA playoffs, and we’ve put together three expert player prop picks as they take the floor on Monday night at Madison Square Garden once again for Game 2.
Here are the three player props for your consideration, including an OVER on a combination prop for Mikal Bridges (-122) on April 21.
Series Preview: No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons
Game Preview: Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Mikal Bridges OVER 18.5 Points + Assists vs. Pistons (-122 at FanDuel)
Of the five Knicks starters on Saturday, Bridges was by far the weakest of the bunch on both ends of the floor, whether you want to pinpoint his pedestrian eight points on 4-of-9 shooting (the one starter to not reach double-digit scoring) or the fact that he was a -16 in 29 minutes while his four comrades had a positive plus-minus rating.
New York’s win sheltered him from what would have been overwhelming criticism of his performance considering the treasure’s trove of assets the team gave up to acquire him in the first place. He’s too talented to let that outing linger, which is why we’re projecting him to be more of a focal point this go around and less of a hindrance.
Bridges did exceed 18.5 points and assists in three of the Knicks’ four regular season meetings with the Pistons, and the one time he didn’t was way back on Nov. 1 when he barely missed out with 18 combined. The 28-year-old forward also averaged 19.6 points on 51.6-percent shooting across 41 games at home in 2024-25, and replicating that alone would achieve an OVER here. Prior to Saturday, Bridges had only finished with fewer than 10 points (excluding six-second stint in season finale) three times since Jan. 13, so we’re going to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope for a more potent box score in Game 2.
Cade Cunningham OVER 8.5 Assists vs. Knicks (-135 at FanDuel)
Even in defeat, it was a good sign for Detroit that the likes of Tobias Harris (25 points), Malik Beasley (20 points), and Tim Hardaway Jr. (19 points) were all able to get going in the scoring department. It all can’t fall on All-Star guard Cade Cunningham’s shoulders, of course, but what those contributions also achieved was boosting Cunningham’s assist numbers to the biggest of any player through the initial matchups of the playoffs.
His 12 assists in 39 minutes tied Nikola Jokic and Tyrese Haliburton for the most over the weekend, and Cunningham’s 20 potential assists were two behind Jokic for the overall lead across the Association. He did turn the rock over six times, mind you, so there were some moments of sloppiness.
No one else on Detroit had more than three dimes, though, so in order for this offense to flow and be functional, Cunningham will need to dictate those motions and try and be a bit more careful so to not give the Knicks any extra chances. As long as his fellow Pistons continue to demonstrate high efficiency, these assist numbers should hover around the double-digit mark and result in easy OVERs for bettors.
Jalen Duren UNDER 21.5 Points + Rebounds vs. Knicks (-122 at FanDuel)
Center Jalen Duren could fall victim to similar circumstances to that of Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert if Detroit runs smaller five-man units for quicker pace and more shooting. Duren only tallied 25 minutes in Game 1, registering seven points and six rebounds with just four shot attempts as Beasley (35 minutes) and Dennis Schroder (26 minutes) saw more action coming off the bench.
It marked the fourth time in five looks at New York that Duren failed to exceed a combination total of 21.5 points and rebounds. He did go OVER on April 10 with a perfect 9-of-9 shooting for an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double, although O.G. Anunoby and Josh Hart were absent on that day.
The pessimistic outlook stems from the Pistons needing to give a healthy dose of minutes to both Beasley and Schroder, and Duren could simply be the odd man out if Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns continues to dominate that particular matchup. It also didn’t help Duren’s cause that Detroit was outscored by 20 points when he was in the game either.
