Just one day after defeating the Cleveland Cavs on the road, the Detroit Pistons have another tough test on the horizon with a matchup against the New York Knicks at home tonight at 7 pm. 

Tonight’s game is the first meeting of the two squads since last season’s hard fought first round playoff series, and both squads are currently stationed atop the Eastern Conference in first and second place. One season ago, the Knicks had the upper hand with a six-game win over the Pistons, but Detroit has had a better record than New York for over six consecutive weeks this season which could mark a change in the tides. 

In the Pistons’ 114-110 win over the Cavs, Cade Cunningham delivered another strong performance with 27 points, but it was Daniss Jenkins’ perfect 7-for-7 effort in the second quarter, which was good for 21 points, that stood out as the key impact performance. Jenkins set the Detroit franchise record for the most points in a quarter by a player off the bench, and he iced the game late in the fourth with four immensely clutch free throws. 

The Pistons will have to juggle the lineup once again with Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris and Caris LeVert all expected to miss today’s game. Duren is going to be reevaluated in a couple weeks with a sprained ankle, and Harris has a hip injury that should receive more clarity several days from now. LeVert is dealing with a lingering knee issue, so he could rejoin the squad at any time.

As for the Knicks, guards Josh Hart and Landry Shamet are both dealing with moderate-level injuries, so they will miss today’s game against the Pistons but should be back in the lineup for New York soon. 

The past week of basketball has not been kind to the Knicks with three consecutive losses on the bounce heading into tonight’s matchup with Detroit. In their last five games, the Knicks are 2-3, so it’s been an up and down patch around the holidays for one of the top contenders in the East. 

Most recently, the Knickenbockers suffered an 11-point loss at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, a team with new energy with Joel Embiid back in the rotation. In that game, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was predictably productive with 31 points as the high scorer for his squad. Karl-Anthony Towns is finding his groove of late in the Knicks’ offense, and he chipped in with 23 points, but New York did not receive much help outside of those two performances. 

The Knicks’ success rides with that of Brunson this season. As a high-volume, ball-dominant point guard who finds his way to the free throw line with regularity, Brunson is the conductor of the Knicks’ offense and has a flair for the dramatics. Brunson had an emotional series against the Pistons last season, and he’s likely going to be amped up for another matchup head-to-head with Cunningham. 

This season, Brunson is averaging 29.3 points, 6.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, so Brunson is separating himself as one of the league’s elite shot creators. Now, Brunson does draw criticism for his foul baiting tendencies given how often he makes it to the charity stripe, but that trait only serves to make the Knicks more difficult to handle. 

READ MORE: Bickerstaff Talks Pistons Preparation Ahead Of Back-To-Back Games Against Cavs, Knicks

On the surface, the Pistons have the odds stacked against them tonight with a difficult matchup on the docket on the tail end of a back-to-back with three key players out of the lineup, but these are the situations when Detroit digs in and performs at another level. Earlier in the season, the Pistons were tested mightily with significant injury woes, and how did the squad respond? Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff inserted the next man up into the lineup and the Pistons kept on chugging along, ultimately winning 13 consecutive games when the team finally returned to full health. 

The Pistons and the Knicks still have bad blood on the table after last year’s playoff showdown, and the two squads are eager to prove who the top dog in the Eastern Conference is this season. Even with an injury-riddled lineup, look for the Pistons to put everything they have into tonight’s matchup. 

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