Knicks host unbeaten Pistons at Madison Square Garden: what to watch
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- The Detroit Pistons enter the game at 3-0. The New York Knicks enter it at 0-3.
- The game tips off at 8 pm ET on Tuesday, October 27, at Madison Square Garden.
- Detroit is short-handed in the frontcourt, but Ausar Thompson is available.
The defending champion New York Knicks need a win. The unbeaten Detroit Pistons stand in their way at Madison Square Garden.
Detroit arrives at 3-0 after three wins over strong Eastern Conference teams. New York arrives at 0-3 after three close losses to start the season. The winner of this game gets more than one win in the standings.
Detroit can stay perfect. New York can calm an early-season worry.
What happened so far
Detroit has beaten the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, and the Philadelphia 76ers. That is the core fact of its fast start. All three teams are expected to fight for playoff spots.
The win over Philadelphia came on Sunday. Detroit held the 76ers to 93 points, according to Detroit Bad Boys. Detroit scored only 106 points in that game.
That was its lowest total of the young season.
New York has lost three games in a row. The Knicks lost to the 76ers by six points. They lost to the Celtics by four points.
They lost to the Orlando Magic by nine points.
New York is scoring about 102 points per game so far. That number is low for a team with this much talent. The Knicks won the title last season.
Their core is still in place.
Why Detroit is unbeaten
Detroit plays strong defense. That has not changed even when key players have missed games. The Pistons held Philadelphia down on Sunday with bench players doing heavy work.
Detroit is also shooting well from long range. Last season, the team hit only 36 percent of its three-point shots, according to USA Today. In its first three games this season, that number jumped to 42 percent.
Cade Cunningham leads the team. USA Today reports that he leads Detroit in scoring, assists, steals, and blocks. He is a first-team All-NBA selection.
He does not have to carry the offense on every play now. Veteran help has eased that load.
"We're just staying steady. We're not getting ahead of ourselves," Cunningham said after the win over Philadelphia, according to USA Today. "The togetherness is there.
We got a great system, we got the best coach in the league."
Detroit beat New York in all three meetings last season, according to USA Today. That adds one more layer to this game. Detroit does not fear this matchup.
Why New York is winless
New York has not found its clutch scoring yet. Jalen Brunson is one of the most trusted late-game scorers in the league, according to Detroit Bad Boys. So far, those late baskets have not fallen.
The Knicks still have their title core. Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart all return. That group knows how to win big games.
A slow start after a title run is common, Detroit Bad Boys notes. The season after a title brings a short summer and a long celebration.
The losses have been close. That matters. New York is not getting blown out.
It is losing small moments late in games. One or two more stops or scores would change the record.
New York also faces a real piece of history. USA Today reports a rare risk. The Knicks could be the first defending champion to start 0-4 since Boston in 1969.
That is a long time ago. It shows how rare this start is.
The injury picture
Detroit will miss Jalen Duren. He is out with a hamstring injury, according to USA Today. He will miss at least the next two weeks.
Duren signed a five-year, 200 million dollar extension before the season, according to USA Today. He earned third-team All-NBA honors last season. His absence hurts Detroit near the basket.
Ausar Thompson is available for Tuesday night, according to FantasyPros. He hurt his ankle against Miami on Friday. He sat out the win over Philadelphia on Sunday.
His return helps Detroit a lot.
Thompson led the league in steals last season, according to USA Today. He was also an All-NBA First-Team All-Defensive pick. He can guard Brunson and help handle the ball.
Isaiah Joe is out with a right hip injury, according to FantasyPros. Joe hurt his hip after a scary fall on a dunk against Philadelphia, Detroit Bad Boys reports. Detroit will miss his shooting.
New York, by contrast, enters the game close to full strength, according to Detroit Bad Boys. That is one clear edge for the home team. A healthy champion at home is a hard test for any visitor.
What to watch
Watch Cade Cunningham against the Knicks wing defenders. Anunoby, Bridges, and Hart can all guard him. Cunningham must still create shots for himself and for others.
Watch the three-point line. Detroit shoots 42 percent from deep so far. New York must chase Detroit off that line.
If Detroit keeps hitting threes, the game gets hard for New York.
Watch the late minutes. New York has lost three close games. Detroit has won with defense in the fourth quarter.
The team that wins the last five minutes may win the game.
The Knicks are listed as 3. 5-point favorites, according to Detroit Bad Boys. That may surprise some fans.
Detroit has the better record. But home court and a title core still count with oddsmakers.
Why this game matters
For Detroit, a win would mean a 4-0 start. It would also end the road trip on a high note. It would prove that the fast start is real, not just a soft schedule.
For New York, a win would mean a first win. It would ease the talk about a title hangover. It would also show that the late-game problems are fixable.
The Pistons beat the 76ers 106-93 on Sunday to stay unbeaten. The Celtics host the Nets at TD Garden in another Tuesday night Eastern Conference game. The Bulls visit the Celtics at TD Garden in an earlier preview from this week.
What happens next
The result will shape the early Eastern Conference picture. Detroit can build a gap over the field. New York can start to climb back toward the top half of the standings.
One game will not decide the season. The NBA season has 82 games. But early wins and losses set the tone.
Detroit wants to keep its tone perfect. New York wants to change its tone fast.
The next step is simple for both teams. Detroit must keep defending and hitting threes. New York must finish close games.
Whichever team does its job better on Tuesday night will leave Madison Square Garden with the story it wants.
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