Beasley provided a spark in the first half as he came off the bench and made six threes. Five of his threes came in the second quarter, which the Pistons won by 16. Beasley’s biggest shot was a buzzer-beater before the end of the first half, which gave the Pistons as two-point lead. With the Pistons down three at the end of the fourth quarter, Beasley couldn’t corral a pass from Cade Cunningham resulting in a turnover and sealing the win for the Knicks. The 28-year-old shooting guard is set to hit free agency this offseason, but Beasley has expressed interest in staying with the Pistons and an agreement on a contract that makes sense for both sides wouldn’t be surprising.

As was the case for most of the regular season, Beasley provided solid production off the bench in Game 1. And after shooting 14-of-25 from three in two games against the Bucks to end the regular season, he carried that form over into Saturday’s matchup. Beasley shot 6-of-12 from three in Game 1 while also providing solid value in rebounds, steals and blocks. In four regular-season meetings with the Knicks, he shot 55.6 percent from three with an average of 3.8 makes and 15.8 points. Based on those numbers and his showing on Saturday, Beasley will have value in this series. Game 2 is on Monday night.

It doesn’t take much for Beasley to get rolling, and his hot shooting during the second and third quarters dragged the Pistons back into a game that was on its way to being a laugher. He shot 7-of-9 from three in those periods, appearing in fine form ahead of the Pistons’ first playoff appearance since 2019. Beasley’s name won’t be on the marquee for the first-round series against the Knicks, but he’s capable of being a factor. New York ranks 25th in the NBA in three-point percentage defense, which may be an area that Detroit can exploit.

Beasley is a late addition to the Pistons’ injury report, which is concerning for fantasy managers in active leagues who rely on his three-point production. If he’s unable to play, Simone Fontecchio may log more than the six minutes he played in Thursday’s win over the Knicks. Fontecchio would not be worth streaming in active leagues, especially with all 30 teams on the slate.