Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Knicks vs. Pistons 5/1/25
New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons
May 1, 2025 7:30 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 tomorrow night’s Knicks vs. Pistons matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Karl-Anthony Towns, Center, New York Knicks $10,400
Talented center Karl-Anthony Towns has been a standout performer for the New York Knicks this season. To assess Karl-Anthony Towns performance from a statistical standpoint, let’s review Towns relevant game data from the 2024 NBA season. This will provide a clear picture of Karl-Anthony Towns overall contributions to the New York Knicks this season.
In the 76 games that center Karl-Anthony Towns played for the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games), Towns is averaging 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks a game.
Examining the data just presented more closely, in the 76 games that Karl-Anthony Towns has played for the New York Knicks this season, Towns has compiled a 52.6% field goal percentage, a 42% three-point percentage and an 82.9% free throw percentage.
These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Karl-Anthony Towns perform in the most recent matchup? In the Detroit Pistons 106-103 win over the New York Knicks earlier this week, Towns amassed 17 points, 11 rebounds, one assist and two blocks.
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. Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.
In my view, Karl-Anthony Towns is the player most likely to score the highest Draftkings points in this NBA Eastern Conference playoff game. For that specific reason, I am backing talented New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NBA DFS Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Jalen Brunson, Point Guard, New York Knicks $10,600
In addition to center Karl-Anthony Towns, point guard Jalen Brunson has been an essential part of the New York Knicks starting lineup this season. With that said, how has Brunson played recently?
More recently, in the New York Knicks 94-93 win over the Detroit Pistons three days ago, Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson tallied 32 points, five rebounds, 11 assists and one block in 32 minutes of play.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this NBA playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Cade Cunningham, Point Guard (Detroit Pistons) $11,800: Josh Hart, Forward (New York Knicks) $9,200: Jalen Duren, Center (Detroit Pistons) $8,600.
