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How to watch the New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons 2025 NBA Playoffs series

Two of the NBA’s most storied franchises will face off in this first-round matchup.

Matt Tamanini
Matt Tamanini is the News Editor at The Streamable, where he oversees daily news coverage and editorial strategy, with a particular focus on breaking stories, streaming comparisons, and major industry events. A well-rounded journalist with a diverse background, Matt joined The Streamable in 2022 after holding key editorial roles at several high-profile outlets. He has an extensive career in sports and entertainment journalism, having served as a senior editor for BroadwayWorld, the world’s largest theater website, and as managing editor for Land-Grant Holy Land, which covers Ohio State sports.
Read full bio ›
Matt Tamanini
•
With a background in sports and entertainment reporting, he’s covered everything from Broadway to college football. He cut the cord in 2014 and has a sharp eye for streaming trends and a soft spot for Hallmark movies.
With a background in sports and entertainment reporting, he’s covered everything from Broadway to college football. He cut the cord in 2014 and has a sharp eye for streaming trends and a soft spot for Hallmark movies.

The 2025 NBA Playoffs get underway on Saturday, April 19 and the New York Knicks will kick things off in the world’s most famous arena by welcoming the Detroit Pistons. The Knickerbockers enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed while Detroit is No. 6. New York has won 16 of the last 20 games in the series, which bodes well for long-suffering Knicks fans. Game 1 of the series will air nationally on ESPN, with FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, and MSG handling local duties. If you want to watch the game and the entire NBA playoffs, we recommend you do it with 50% off a subscription to Sling TV.

How to watch the Knicks vs. Pistons playoff series

Everything you need to know to stream Knicks vs. Pistons:

Knicks vs. Pistons 2025 playoff series broadcast schedule

While the first game of the series will air on ESPN, the subsequent games in the series will take place across various channels and streaming services. Sling TV carries every one of the channels you will need to watch every game of the Knicks vs. Pistons series, so it remains our top recommendation. While Sling doesn’t carry ABC in every market across the country, it does offer ESPN3, which simulcasts every sporting event that airs on the Disney-owned broadcast channel.

However, the games that air on TNT and truTV will be available to stream on Max via the Bleacher Report Sports Add-On. The broadcasts will be free of charge for subscribers signed up for one of Max’s ad-free tiers, which start at $17 per month.

Date Time (ET) Matchup Platform
April 19 6 p.m. Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks ESPN
April 21 7:30 p.m. Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks TNT, truTV alternate broadcast
April 24 7 p.m. New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons TNT
April 27 1 p.m. New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons ABC
April 29 TBD Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks* TBD
May 1 TBD New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons* TBD
May 3 TBD Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks* TBD
*=if necessary

Why we recommend Sling TV to watch Knicks vs. Pistons

Over the next two months, basketball fans will be in heaven as the best that the NBA has to offer battles for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. If you are a die-hard hoops-head who can’t miss a single minute of the postseason action, then Sling is the best streaming option for you. The streamer is the cheapest way to get national broadcast channels and the biggest cable networks, which will be especially important as Sling carries every network that will air the NBA playoffs.

Normally, Sling costs $46 per month, but you can currently get 50% off your first month of service, meaning that you can watch a month of NBA playoff action for as little as $23. Sling has two different base packages, Orange and Blue. You can subscribe to one or both. If you do opt to combine Orange and Blue it will run you $61 monthly — still substantially cheaper than the comparable live TV streaming services — but with the first-month deal, you can stream everything on both packages for just $30.50.

Every nationally broadcast NBA game in the regular and postseason will on ESPN, ABC, [NBA Network], TNT, or truTV so that means that there is no cheaper option to watch all of the hoops action than Sling TV.

Save with Sling
sling.com

Sling TV

Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.

You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.

Save with Sling
$19.99+ / month
sling.com

Related: Get 50% off first month of Sling TV to watch the NBA playoffs!

Can you watch Knicks vs. Pistons for free?

If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch one specific game and nothing else, there are options available for you. DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but they vary in length, so be wary. DIRECTV’s industry-leading trial runs for five days, while Hulu + Live TV’s is a solid three days.

Those are pretty straightforward, but when it comes to the sports-minded streamer Fubo, things can get a little complicated. As The Streamable’s expert David Satin discovered when signing up for the services, figuring out how long Fubo’s trial is — even as you are signing up — can be a bit difficult. Nonetheless, it will be at least one day, with the potential to be as many as seven, depending on a wide range of factors that Fubo does not share publicly.

The YouTube TV trial is said to be “up to two weeks,” but can be as short as two days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the signup process.

If you are looking to watch the game for free, I would recommend DIRECTV, because that streamer has the longest guaranteed free trial.

DIRECTV Fubo Hulu Philo Sling TV YouTube TV
Free Trial Free Trial Free 3-Day Trial Free Trial Save with Sling Free Trial
$20.99 $9.99 $28.99 $25 $19.99 $29.99 $45.99 $45.99 $64.99
ABC + $24 + $59 + $61 - - ✓ - ✓ ✓
ESPN + $24 + $59 + $61 - ✓ - ✓ - ✓
NBA TV + $15 + $11 - - - - + $11 + $11 ✓
TNT + $24 - + $61 - - - ✓ ✓ ✓
truTV + $24 - + $61 - - - + $6 ✓ ✓

Check out a preview of Knicks vs. Pistons

How to watch Knicks vs. Pistons from anywhere

If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the game as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to a live TV streaming like Sling TV in order to stream the Knicks vs. Pistons game with a VPN.

NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!

While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.

  • Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
  • Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
  • Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available
Matt Tamanini
Matt Tamanini is the News Editor at The Streamable, where he oversees daily news coverage and editorial strategy, with a particular focus on breaking stories, streaming comparisons, and major industry events. A well-rounded journalist with a diverse background, Matt joined The Streamable in 2022 after holding key editorial roles at several high-profile outlets. He has an extensive career in sports and entertainment journalism, having served as a senior editor for BroadwayWorld, the world’s largest theater website, and as managing editor for Land-Grant Holy Land, which covers Ohio State sports.
Read full bio ›
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DIRECTV Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $50 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for DIRECTV STREAM.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Offer Terms

  • Only valid for new DIRECTV STREAM subscribers.
  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • Purchase must be completed on the DIRECTV STREAM website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.

Sling TV Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $25 Uber Eats Gift Card when you sign up for Sling TV.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Offer Terms

  • Only valid for new Sling TV subscribers to Sling Orange, Blue, or Sling Orange + Blue.
  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • You must click from The Streamable and complete your purchase on the Sling TV website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.

Hulu Live TV Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $35 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for Hulu Live TV.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Offer Terms

  • Only valid for new Hulu Live TV subscribers.
  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • You must click from The Streamable and complete your purchase on the Hulu Live TV website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.