There is no way to sugarcoat it: Game four is a must-win for the Detroit Pistons if they want to pull the first-round upset against the Knicks.
They can’t go into Madison Garden down 1-3 in the series, so they have to take this rare afternoon game in Detroit.
The Pistons have had chances to win all three games so far, which is a good sign considering they have yet to play their best game and they’ve mostly been without backup center Isaiah Stewart, one of the anchors of their defense.
To their credit, the Pistons have done a decent job patching the Beef Stew sized absence in the rotation, as Paul Reed has played well and everyone has chipped in on the boards.
But Stewart’s absence from the lineup has cost them at times, as the Knicks have been able to use two bigs to get offensive rebounds and last game continuously used Karl-Anthony Towns as a trailer, something Jalen Duren had had trouble defending all season.
It has also left Tobias Harris with KAT duty most of the time, which got him into foul trouble last game and took him out of the offense.
I am sure the Pistons would love to get Stewart back today, but I have my doubts. But for the first time this series, the Knicks have a name on the injury report.
Pistons injuries vs. Knicks: Isaiah Stewart injury status
Nothing has changed with Stew, as he is still listed as questionable for today’s game in Detroit.
It’s hard for me to imagine Stewart playing in this series, as he was laboring mightily in game one and was unable to even jump or run at full speed. It would take a miraculous recovery for him to suddenly be able to play. I am holding out hope but prepared for the worst.
The Knicks added Mitchell Robinson to their injury report. He is suffering from some kind of illness and also listed as questionable for today’s game.
That would be a big break for the Pistons even though Mitchell hasn’t logged heavy minutes. He was the Knicks' only reserve to even play 10 minutes in the last game and is their most important bench player.
The Knicks’ starters have logged heavy minutes in this series, and if Robinson is out, KAT will have to do it again. The Pistons have been shorthanded themselves but may be able to wear the Knicks out with their depth.
Detroit needs to come out with big energy early and try to run the Knicks off the floor and see if they can head back to New York with the series tied.
A win today would guarantee at least one more home game in the playoffs for Detroit, so let’s home the Pistons can respond as they have all season and take it to the Knicks today.