Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Knicks vs. Pistons 4/23/25
New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons
April 24, 2025 7:00 pm EDT
The NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with an Eastern Conference playoff matchup featuring the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings single game showdown contest.
Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules
You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.
The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.
If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.
*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.
Here are my Draftkings picks for tonight’s New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Cade Cunningham, Point Guard, Detroit Pistons $11,000
Talented point guard Cade Cunningham has been a standout performer for the Detroit Pistons this season. Let’s dive into Cunningham’s relevant player data from this season to better illustrate his overall contributions to his team.
In the 72 games that point guard Cade Cunningham has played for the Detroit Pistons in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games), Cunningham has averaged 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 72 games that Cade Cummingham has played for the Pistons this season, Cunningham has compiled a 46.9% field goal percentage, a 35.6% three-point percentage and an 84.6% free throw percentage.
These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Cade Cunningham perform in the most recent matchup? In the Detroit Pistons 100-94 win over the New York Knicks three days ago, Detroit point guard Cade Cunningham played exceptionally well. More specifically, Cunningham amassed 33 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Pistons defeat of the New York Knicks.
As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings NBA showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest. Remember to keep that in mind as you determine which player to select for this coveted position in your lineup.
In my view, Cade Cunningham is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this NBA playoff game. With that said, I am rolling with Detroit Pistons point guard at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NBA Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Jalen Brunson, Point Guard, New York Knicks $10,600
Veteran point guard Jalen Brunson has been the floor general that the New York Knicks have needed to win games this season.
In the 67 games that point guard Jalen Brunson has played for the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA season, Brunson is averaging a robust 26.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 0.9 steals a game.
Examining the data just presented more closely, in the 67 games that Jalen Brunson has played for the New York Knicks this season, Brunson has averaged 43.1 Draftkings points a contest.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this NBA playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Karl-Anthony Towns, Center (New York Knicks) $10,800: Josh Hart, Forward (New York Knicks) $8,800: Jalen Duren, Center (Detroit Pistons) $8,400.
