Unbeaten Pistons visit the 0-3 Knicks tonight on NBC as Detroit chases a 4-0 start

The Detroit Pistons try to go 4-0 tonight at Madison Square Garden against a New York Knicks team that has not won yet. Tipoff is 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, the NBA said, and it is one of four games on Tuesday's schedule.

The defending champions are 0-3, including two losses at home. Their latest came Sunday at the Garden, when Orlando erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and won 111-102. Jalen Brunson is averaging 22.7 points and Karl-Anthony Towns 12 rebounds, according to ESPN, and the Knicks are without guard Jose Alvarado (ankle).

Detroit is 3-0 and 2-0 on the road. Cunningham averages 21.3 points and eight assists, and Paul Reed leads the team at 8.3 rebounds per game. Center Jalen Duren is out with a hamstring injury, and Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Joe are listed as day to day. The Knicks beat Detroit in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, a series Brunson closed with a late 3-pointer over Thompson.

The Knicks are 4.5-point favorites at DraftKings with a total of 219.5, so the market still trusts New York at home.

The late game puts two more unbeaten teams on the floor. The Lakers (3-0) host the Portland Trail Blazers (2-0) at 11 p.m. ET on Peacock. Luka Doncic scored 52 in Sunday's 132-123 win at Utah and is averaging 34.3 points. Damian Lillard leads Portland at 22 points per game, and Ja Morant is averaging 7.5 assists. Portland is without Shaedon Sharpe (meniscus) and Chris Youngblood, and Scoot Henderson is day to day. The Lakers are 1.5-point favorites with a total of 233.5.

Also tonight: Brooklyn plays at Boston at 7:30 p.m. ET, and Sacramento visits San Antonio at 8 p.m. ET.

What to watch: Whether New York can avoid an 0-4 start against the East's best early record, and whether one of the West's unbeaten teams loses for the first time.