DAVE ESSLER | NBA PROP MON, 01/05/26 - 7:10 PM
501 NYK / 502 DET First Half (-110) triple-dime bet
Analysis:
3* Pistons 1H +1.5 - The only reason the Knicks are favored is because Detroit played last night. First off, they won. Secondly, they only traveled from Cleveland. Thirdly, Detroit lost a B2B to the Cavs back in late October, and since then have played in five of them and won all five. While I am hesistant to take them for the full game because they Knicks will want to run, hence at some point the Pistons could either get tired, or get behind by enough that they throw in the towel. They're 12-3 at home this season while the Knicks are a sub .500 road team. The Pistons are in the top four in most defensive categories, and I say that sustains them for 24 minutes. If old school handicapping of simply fading the team that played last night is all it takes, so be it. But that's all factored in these days. Only sponges go broke betting those trends over a period of time. Since Josh Hart went down, the Knicks are 2-3 with only narrow road wins over Atltana and New Orleans. They've lost three straight, two at home. I'll take the 2H out of the equation, take the better team at home with the better defense.
