The Knicks’ win streak is now up to eight games, but it’ll be in serious jeopardy tonight against another formidable opponent. This time, it’s the Detroit Pistons, sitting at 37-13, good enough for tops in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks are coming off a Wednesday night game that turned into an instant classic, as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray went back and forth with Jalen Brunson and the rest of the New York cast of characters for a loooong time. Four quarters weren’t enough. Neither was the first overtime. But New York hung in down the stretch, showed a lot of heart, and hung in there for a big-time win to keep their winning streak alive.
They moved to 33-18, and with the trade deadline the next day, fans and analysts alike were wondering if the front office would tinker with the roster at all with championship rings on their minds. Indeed they did, essentially turning Guerschon Yabusele and two second-round picks into Jose Alvarado.
It’s a shame that Yabusele never got his legs underneath him as part of a New York rotation built to win now. Allegedly a prized offseason signing, his leash got shorter and shorter as the season went on, and he never looked truly comfortable on the floor wearing a Knicks jersey. Best of luck to him as he continues his career in Chicago, but his time ran out in the Garden.
Meanwhile, Alvarado is a native New Yorker who will inject energy, intensity, and grit into any roster he’s a part of. He won’t make his debut tonight, but it’ll be exciting to see how he fits into this Knicks squad during the duration of the season.
Similarly, tough news about Miles McBride came out yesterday in accordance with the move for Jose.
He’ll be sidelined for a good chunk of time, and hopefully return in time for the playoffs. A huge blow for New York.
Meanwhile, all of that to set the stage for tonight… the Knicks keep on winning, they’re retooling, they’re feeling good. What better litmus test than the best team in the East to see how things stack up?
On the other side of things, the Detroit Pistons are back with a vengeance this year. Sitting at 37-13, they may be the biggest threat to the Knicks’ dreams of making it out of the East this year. Before last night, they had won nine of their last eleven. They’re a bit banged up coming into tonight’s matchup, on the second end of a back-to-back with first-time All-Star Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris both questionable to play tonight.
Even still, Cade Cunningham has been playing out of his mind, with Duren, Harris, Ausar Thompson, Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Stewart, and Ron Holland rounding out an incredibly strong core. Jaden Ivey was shipped out at the deadline for Kevin Huerter; otherwise, the roster remained intact. This team is deep.
From 2020 to 2024, the Knicks had won sixteen (!!!) straight games. Since then, the Pistons have rattled off four in a row, including a 121-90 shellacking in Detroit just a few short weeks ago.
Ugly. We’ll see tonight if the Knicks can turn the tide.
The Knicks keep the streak alive. Mikal Bridges wakes up and has a big game offensively. The city rejoices. New York by 5.
Teams: New York Knicks (33-18) vs Phoenix Suns (37-13)
Date: Friday, February 6, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
TV: Prime Video
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky