Detroit vs New York: The Knicks to step up on offense

The Pistons have won only 3 of their 15 home games this season. Detroit lost on the road to New York a week ago, and it is unlikely the team will be able to get revenge at Little Caesars Arena.

The Pistons plan to take the first pick in the draft for the 2nd time in a row. The team currently sits in last place in the Eastern Conference with only five wins this season. So far, not all young players live up to expectations. The main disappointment has been Isaiah Stewart, averaging 7.9 points per 26 minutes on the floor. Saddiq Bey has been slumping after a good start to the regular season, and Cade Cunningham is unstable so far, with the latter being on the coronavirus protocol. Kelly Olynyk has long been out due to injury, Jerami Grant is also in the sack. Trey Lyles, Josh Jackson, Saben Lee, Cory Joseph, Killian Hayes and Rodney McGruder will likely not play against the Knicks.

Luka Garza, who had previously appeared in only a few minutes, was the primary centre due to his multiple losses. The emergence of Derrick Walton, who recently signed a 10-day contract, was of no use at all in the starting five as he failed to score in 31 minutes against San Antonio in the recent game. In the end, Dwane Casey's team lost 107-44, poorly defended in the paint and making only 8 of 32 three-pointers. Hamidou Diallo was the highest scorer on the team with 28 points on 13-of-19 shooting but also committed seven turnovers and made just 1 of 5 free throws.

The Knicks made the playoffs directly last season, but now they have enough trouble. New York are still only 10th in the East, although they have three wins in their last four games. Kemba Walker returned to the rotation after a fairly long break, and the day before, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. In any case, in the absence of the injured Derrick Rose, Kemba will have plenty of playing minutes, and he won the competition from the same Alec Burks. Immanuel Quickley has recently left the coronavirus protocol, but Nerlens Noel, Danuel House and Jericho Sims remain on the sideline.

In the recent game against Minnesota, not a single New York player scored more than 15 points, but that didn't stop them from winning, 96-88. Tom Thibodeau's team defended well at the arc, and ten offensive rebounds by Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle helped a lot. The Knicks scored little in the paint but made up for it with 16 long-range shots on 40% three-point shooting.

Without most of their key players, Detroit's defensive situation is unlikely to change for the better. New York's leaders did not have the brightest game against Minnesota, and the same Walker, Barrett and Randle are bound to improve, especially against their current opponent. In last week's head-to-head meeting without Barrett and Quickley, the Knicks' advantage was obvious, but now it could end up as a complete blowout. The following betting options look great:

• Handicap 2 (-6.5) for 1.81;
• Total Over 207.5 points for 1.47;
• Individual Total 2 Over 109.5 points for 1.75.