This year, in one of the great turnarounds in pro sports, the Pistons posted a winning record to earn a spot in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Certainly, much of the NBA betting credit must go to first-year head coach JB Bickerstaff. He engineered a remarkable turnaround in his previous gig with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last year, the Detroit Pistons were a hapless 14-68 and one of the worst teams in NBA history. It was the fifth consecutive season that the Pistons finished with a win percentage of under .304.
2025 NBA Playoffs First Round Preview: New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons
| Date and Time: | Monday, April 21, 2025, 7:30 PM ET. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| TV Coverage: | TNT |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Pistons | +6½ -107 | 220½ -110 | +220 |  |
| New York Knicks | -6½ -113 | 220½ -110 | -260 | |
| ||||
Detroit Pistons Series Schedule
- Game 2: Pistons at Knicks | Monday, April 21, 7:30 p.m. | TNT
- Game 3: Knicks at Pistons | Thursday, April 24, TBD | TNT
- Game 4: Knicks at Pistons | Sunday, April 27, 1 p.m. | ABC
- Game 5: Pistons at Knicks | Tuesday, April 29, TBD | TBD*
- Game 6: Knicks at Pistons | Thursday, May 1, TBD | TBD*
- Game 7: Pistons at Knicks | Saturday, May 3, TBD | TBD*
Detroit Pistons Head Coach
Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff takes over after two playoff campaigns there. He was instrumental in taking Cleveland out of the offshore betting abyss and into a serious contender. In his final three seasons, he went 44-38, 51-31, and 48-34. Now, he is working his turnaround magic in Detroit. Bickerstaff has a career record of 299-328 but has produced four consecutive winning seasons.
Detroit Pistons Key Players
C Jalen Duren was the 13th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft out of Memphis by the Charlotte Hornets. Previously, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team. This year, Duren averaged 11.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Malik Beasley was another key contributor to the Pistons in 2024-25. To illuminate, Beasley averaged 16.3 points per game.
PG Cade Cunningham was an NBA All-Rookie first-teamer in 2022. He was the 1st overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma State by Detroit. Also, he is a first-time NBA All-Star in 2025. This season, he averaged 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game.
G Jaden Ivey was the Pistons’ 5th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Purdue. He has been out with lower leg issues, and his return timeline is not determined yet. In sum, he averaged 17.6 points per game this season.
Detroit Pistons Record, Metrics & History
Detroit’s NBA betting metrics were 14th for scoring offense, 13th for field goal percentage, 17th for 3-point field goal percentage, 20th for free throw percentage, and 15th for offensive rebounding. While on defense, the Pistons’ metrics were 12th for scoring defense, 9th for field goal percentage permitted, 25th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 5th for defensive rebounding.
The Detroit Pistons had a final regular season record of 44-38 straight up, 42-38-2 against the spread, and 42-39 over/under the total. Detroit was 6th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Hence, Detroit was 20 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Detroit stunned the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. And then the Pistons made it to at least the Eastern Conference Finals for five straight years. There wasn’t a superstar on those teams. But there was a talented collection of five players who had great chemistry. Namely, they were Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, and Chauncey Billups.