Unbeaten Pistons face winless Knicks with Duren sidelined

The Detroit Pistons visit the New York Knicks in the first of four regular-season meetings between the Eastern Conference teams, with contrasting starts to the season. Detroit are the conference’s last unbeaten side, while the defending NBA champions have lost their first three games.

The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Detroit will be without All-Star centre Jalen Duren, and could also be missing guards Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Joe.

Detroit’s unbeaten start faces an injury test

Duren is expected to miss at least two weeks after suffering a right hamstring strain in Friday’s win over Miami. He played only 10 minutes in that game, having scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the season opener against Boston.

The Pistons remained unbeaten with a 106-93 win in Philadelphia on Sunday. Paul Reed played 26 minutes in Duren’s absence, contributing eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks, as Detroit won the rebounding contest 54-37.

Thompson missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Joe left it late in the first quarter with a hip contusion and did not return. Their availability would add to Detroit’s concerns as the team finishes a three-game trip and begins a back-to-back.

Knicks look for a response

New York fell to 0-3 after a 111-102 home defeat to Orlando on Sunday, despite the visitors being without Paolo Banchero. The Knicks surrendered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, while Jalen Brunson finished 12-for-28 from the field, including 1-for-7 from three-point range.

“Everyone can say it’s early in the season. We can use that as an excuse,” Brunson said after the loss. “So we have to continue to put our foot on the gas and execute like we did last year.”

Mikal Bridges is averaging 3.3 points per game on 21.7% from the field. There was also a change at backup centre on Sunday: coach Mike Brown benched Andre Drummond in the second quarter, with James Wiseman taking over those minutes.

What the meeting means

The Knicks are the first defending NBA champions to begin a season 0-3 since the 2011-12 Dallas Mavericks. Another defeat would leave them at 0-4, a start matched among defending champions only by the 1969-70 Boston Celtics.

Detroit won all three regular-season meetings with New York by double-digit margins. Cade Cunningham averaged 27.3 points and 11.0 assists across those games, while Duren missed all three through injury or suspension. The Knicks now have a chance to end their losing start against a Pistons side whose unbeaten run has continued despite Duren’s absence.