The Detroit Pistons managed to get their fans another home game after holding off the Knicks in Madison Square Garden.
It was an impressive win for a young team, as they were facing elimination in a hostile building and got huge outings from Cade Cunningham (in the 4th quarter) and Ausar Thompson, two of the young cornerstones of the franchise.
They also got a big game out of Jalen Duren, who made an offensive impact with his passing, mostly to set Thompson up for dunks.
He’ll need to have a big game again tonight, as he will be the focal point of the Knicks’ attack and will likely be doing it without his backup.
Pistons injuries vs. Knicks: Will Isaiah Stewart play tonight?
Nothing has changed with Isaiah Stewart, who is still listed as questionable and is unlikely to play in this series.
I’ve been watching Beef Stew closely on the bench and he is favoring that leg even when he’s just standing there, so it’s hard for me to imagine him being ready for battle anytime soon.
It’s a shame for Stewart, who was such a big part of the Pistons making the playoffs, but who has been shut down with knee “inflammation” (yeah right) since the third quarter of game one, which seems six months ago.
Jaden Ivey remains out and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, which is Pistons’ code for “don’t expect him back either.”
The good news is that the Pistons have been winning without them, so the mission doesn’t change tonight with or without Beef Stew.
The Pistons’ mission: Survive
I said this before game five but there should only be one word on the Pistons’ mind as they take the floor at Little Caesar’s Arena: Survive.
They can’t be dreaming about a game 7 in Madison Square Garden or the long shot prospect of winning this series. They can’t think of anything but this one game, as they can’t get two unless they win won, just like last time.
That means leaving everything on the floor, playing huge minutes and being ready for anything to happen. Detroit has to control their nerves at home, something they didn’t do effectively in games three and four as they came out over-hyped or with jitters or whatever you want to call it and fell behind.
LCA will be deafening I am sure, but the Pistons can’t let their adrenaline get the best of them.
The good news is that they’ve won both games that came with only one off day in between, and the Knicks did look a little beat up and tired in game five. The Pistons have to put it on them early and see if they can win the war of attrition.
How to watch Pistons vs Knicks
You have a lot of options, including FanDuel Sports Detroit, TNT, TruTV, and MAX to watch the 7:30 PM ET tip off.
You can also listen on the radio on 950 AM.