Knicks apparently in no hurry to clinch No. 3 seed in loss to Pistons

In a game where they could have clinched the No. 3 seed, the New York Knicks took their foot off the gas pedal.

Cade Cunningham with a STELLAR showing in a potential first-round preview!

36 PTS
8 AST

Pistons get the win over New York! pic.twitter.com/mqnTD5mdmP

— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2025

Head coach Tom Thibodeau rested two starters and gave a little-used veteran 27 minutes in a 115-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons. That’s not to say the Knicks didn’t try in the game, which was tied with six minutes to go. It’s just that the Knicks didn’t make lineup choices that maximized their chances at winning.

For one, they played forward P.J. Tucker extensively. The 39-year-old logged 27 minutes, his highest minutes total since the 2023 playoffs, in his second game with the Knicks. He did grab six rebounds and make his first three-pointer in a regular-season game since April 10, 2024, but Tucker is more of an emergency option in the front court, with OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson all sitting Thursday.

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 11, 2025

Cade Cunningham scored 36 points for the second time in his last two games against the Knicks. The Pistons won their last three games against New York, with Cunningham averaging 33.7 points in those victories.

Perhaps that’s why the Knicks played reserves and kept things buttoned up against a team that they are likely to face in the first round. The Knicks clinch the No. 3 seed with a win or an Indiana Pacers loss, while the Pistons have to beat the Milwaukee Bucks twice this weekend to move up to No. 5. Plus, keeping the Pistons invested this weekend means they’re less likely to rest players for the playoffs.

But while Thibodeau could have been focusing on gamesmanship, the simpler explanation is rest. With the third seed still easily attainable by beating the woeful Brooklyn Nets Sunday, Thibodeau may have simply been giving his heavy-minutes regulars some rest.

As out of character as that might be for Coach Thibs, it makes sense. The Knicks weren’t desperate to clinch Thursday. The regulars might be far more desperate for a night off.