The Detroit Pistons head to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night with a chance to stay unbeaten, while the New York Knicks try to stop an 0-4 start before it takes hold. Tipoff is set for 8 pm EST, and the game will air on NBC and Peacock.
Detroit is 3-0, the East's only unbeaten team, and has already shown it can win in different ways. The Pistons held the Philadelphia 76ers to 93 points on Sunday even while scoring a season-low 106, and they made only 14 three pointers in that win. Cade Cunningham carried the offense in that game, which mattered because the Pistons were again working through a short-handed lineup.
That shortage could linger. Jalen Duren will definitely be out, while Isaiah Joe and Ausar Thompson are listed as questionable. Joe's status is especially notable after he suffered a hip injury on a fall after a dunk, and Thompson was hurt Friday against the Miami Heat. Detroit has still managed three impressive wins over expected playoff teams in the East, which is a useful measure of how much the early surge has come despite the absences.
The Knicks are trying to avoid the kind of early hole that can define a season. They are 0-3, have averaged 102 points per game, and have lost all three games against likely playoff teams in the East. The line still lists New York as a 3.5-point favorite, which shows how quickly the market is asking whether a slow start can coexist with the roster's championship core.
That is the real pull of Pistons vs Knicks on Tuesday: one team is trying to prove its unbeaten start is sustainable, and the other is trying to make sure a rough opening does not harden into something bigger. For Detroit, the next step is simple. If Cunningham gets enough help again, the Pistons can walk into New York with the East's best early record still intact.
