Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Pistons vs. Knicks 4/21/25
Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks
April 21, 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 tonight’s Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Cade Cunningham, Point Guard, Detroit Pistons $11,000
Detroit point guard Cade Cunningham is an exceptional young talent that is quickly establishing himself as one of the best guards in the National Basketball Association. Let’s dive into Cunningham’s relevant player data from this season to better shed light on my previous statement.
In the 71 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 71 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.
More recently, in the Detroit Pistons 115-106 victory over the New York Knicks earlier this month, Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham certainly played at a high level. Let me be more specific. Cunningham amassed 36 points, two rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one block in the Pistons win over 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
Karl-Anthony Towns, Center, New York Knicks $11,400
Talented center Karl-Anthony Towns has been a standout performer for the New York Knicks this season. To assess the veteran center’s performance from a statistical perspective, 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 73 games that center Karl-Anthony Towns played for the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA season, Towns is averaging a robust 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 73 games that Karl-Anthony Towns has played for the New York Knicks this season, Towns has averaged 49.4 Draftkings points a contest.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this NBA playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Jalen Brunson, Point Guard (New York Knicks) $10,400: Josh Hart, Forward (New York Knicks) $9,000: Jalen Duren, Center (Detroit Pistons) $7,600.
