The Detroit Pistons have lost three straight and are in a precarious position between the play-in tournament and the bottom four in the Eastern Conference.
They carry a three-game streak of being blown out, as they were handled by the shorthanded 76ers before being smoked by the Bucks and Celtics.
Detroit would love to end that streak tonight on the road against the New York Knicks, but there is a much longer and more embarrassing streak on the line.
Detroit Pistons losing streak against the New York Knicks
The Pistons have lost 16 straight games to the Knicks, which is their longest current losing streak against any team.
Detroit hasn’t beaten New York since November of 2019, so we’ve had a full-on pandemic and changed presidents twice since the Pistons last beat the Knicks.
And when you consider the Knicks were recently a bottom-feeder too, it’s inexplicable, as it’s not like this team was even good up until last season.
The Knicks destroyed the Pistons in their first meeting this season, so this is one embarrassing streak that Detroit would like to put to bed.
Pistons injuries vs. Knicks: Will Jalen Brunson or Ausar Thompson play tonight?
The Pistons are still missing rookie Bobi Klintman, who has yet to suit up this season, and Ausar Thompson is listed as questionable with a groin injury. Considering Thompson is still ramping into game shape and bigger minutes, this is not great news as the last thing he and the team need is another setback.
Both Cameron Payne and Jalen Brunson are listed as questionable for the Knicks, and Mitchell Robinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. have been ruled out.
How to watch Pistons vs. Knicks
You can watch the 7:30 PM ET tip-off in Madison Square Garden on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or listen on 950 AM.
Here is a handy guide to Pistons streaming options.
Pistons keys to the game against the Knicks
The key to this game is simple and it’s one that has hurt the Pistons badly in their current 3-game losing streak: They have to defend the 3-point line.
The Knicks blew the Pistons out by 30 in the last meeting, mostly because they made 18 shots from beyond the 3-point line, hitting 47 percent overall. You aren’t going to win many games allowing your opponent to make nearly half of their 3-point shots.
The Pistons must stop being so soft on the perimeter, where they don’t fight over screens aggressively or close out on shooters. The game against Milwaukee was more or less a gym workout for the Bucks, with most of their 3-pont shots coming uncontested.
If that happens again tonight, we will see a similar result.
The Pistons also need to get off to a better start, as they’ve been getting burned by slow starts and had one in the last meeting against New York where they only scored 13 points in the first quarter.
Given this is on the road, coach JB Bickerstaff is going to have to control the pace of the game, get his team to lock down defensively on the perimeter and not allow the Knicks to go on big runs. It’s weird to say, but timeouts will be important in this one, as coach Bickerstaff will have to use them judiciously to stop New York from steamrolling Detroit with 3-point shooting.