Pistons to be Without One Player for Game 5

The Detroit Pistons will be without their key forward, Isaiah Stewart, for Game 5 on the road against the New York Knicks.

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Stewart was listed as questionable heading into the game and will now miss his fourth consecutive contest due to inflammation in his right knee.

His next opportunity to play will be in Thursday's Game 6, assuming the Pistons are able to avoid elimination on Tuesday. In the meantime, center Paul Reed is expected to see an increase in minutes with Stewart out of the lineup.

The Pistons are currently down 3-1 in the series against the Knicks, and Stewart has only played in one game, which came back in Game 1 of the series. In that contest, Stewart recorded two points, five rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in 19 minutes of action.

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Stewart left Game 1 with 9:06 remaining in the fourth quarter, heading to the locker room due to what appeared to be a knee injury. Before the game, he had been cleared to play after missing the final two regular season games due to right knee inflammation. However, despite being cleared, Stewart showed signs of discomfort at multiple points throughout Saturday's game. He played only a 48-second stint in the fourth quarter before requesting to be subbed out after drawing a foul.

The 23-year-old was healthy and available for most of the regular season. He played in 72 games and averaged 6.0 points per game, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three in 19.9 minutes of action.

The Pistons enter this game as the underdogs in what could be their last game of the 2024-25 season. The Knicks are favored in this game with a -5.5 spread.

The Knicks aim to secure the Eastern Conference first-round series against Detroit in Game 5. In the most recent matchup on Sunday, the Knicks narrowly defeated the Pistons 94-93. Jalen Brunson paced the Knicks with 32 points, while Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 25.

Game 4 ended in controversy as Pistons guard Tim Hardaway Jr. attempted a three for the win, but he was bumped by Knicks forward Josh Hart in the process. However, the referees did not blow the whistle, which led to a Pistons loss.

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