Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks 2019-20 season preview
The Detroit Pistons will have a difficult battle with the New York Knicks in 2019-20 due to how they match up. Here’s a look at the season series.
The Detroit Pistons secured a four-game series sweep of the New York Knicks last season but the tables have turned in New York, which has an improved roster.
It’s all about how the two teams match up and, while many people clowned the Knicks for signing so many power forwards, they have the size and depth to bang with the Pistons in the frontcourt.
Detroit had an average win margin of 15.8 points per win in the four games against the Knicks last season, which included a 26-point win in the final game of the regular season to clinch the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. They did that at Madison Square Garden without Blake Griffin.
Luke Kennard was phenomenal, scoring 27 points (one off his career-best) on 9-of-14 shooting. The Pistons were 14-for-33 (42.4 percent) from 3-point range for one of their best perimeter performances of the season.
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The two mid-season matchup in early February were interesting in the fact that the Pistons altered their roster dramatically in the two off days before the second game. They unloaded Stanley Johnson as part of a three-team trade to land Thon Maker. They also sent Reggie Bullock to the Lakers while receiving Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk in return.
That meant the Pistons traded two starters in between the two meetings and still won the second game by 17, in which Andre Drummond scored 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting and grabbed 20 rebounds. He had some assistance from Blake Griffin (26) and Reggie Jackson (20) as the trio accounted for 62.5 percent of the Pistons points in the 120-103 win.
Because of all the moving parts in Manhattan this summer, there isn’t a whole lot to take away from last year’s season series. But the Knicks appear to match up better in 2019-20 with their new frontcourt depth.