The New York Knicks came into Little Caesars Arena prepared to face the Detroit Pistons. They were on a 3-game losing streak and looking to bounce back. The team could not risk going another game under .500, especially with their tough schedule ahead. On the other hand, Detroit is second behind Minnesota for the least amount of wins on the season. There was not much at stake for them. New York certainly had a lot on the line, which they made clear. If they lost themselves the last three games, they certainly found themselves tonight.
New York got off to an auspicious start in Motor City. They opened the game on an early 14-0 run and had 9 three-pointers in the first quarter. Their lead blew to as many as 26 toward the quarter’s end. Detroit struggled offensively as they were only 6-of-20 from the field. New York took advantage of their struggles and went into the second quarter leading 41-15.
To start the second, Detroit scored 6 unanswered points. However, New York did not fret and took a 30 point lead at the 7:54 mark. Eventually, their lead was narrowed to 19. Responsible for that was New York becoming stagnant on offense. They shot 65% from the field in the first quarter and during the second only shot 33%. As a result, it was a 60-41 game at the break.
By the 10:00 mark in the third quarter, New York had already made 12 buckets from downtown. Sadiq Bey had a quiet first half, but he got his first bucket around the midway point in the third. Julius Randle and RJ Barrett combined for 18 points in the third quarter. New York led 88-61 going into the fourth.
After playing 5 minutes in the final stretch, Obi Toppin’s layup helped put 100 points on the board. Kevin Knox knocked in 3 consecutive three-pointers with about 2 minutes left in the game. New York’s largest lead of the night was 47. Deividas Sirvydis’ shot from behind the arc cut it back to 44 in the final seconds. In the end, New York blew Detroit out 125-81.
This win marks the largest road win for New York since April 15, 1996, when they blew Toronto out by 46. They are now 25-25 on the season and back at .500. Everyone got a share of the ball during the victory. Randle led the team with 29 points. Behind him was Reggie Bullock with a season-high 22 points. Barrett contributed 14 points. Finally, Taj Gibson and Elfrid Payton had 11 points apiece. Although the game did not go in Detroit’s favor, Jerami Grant led the team with 16 points. Hamidou Diallo had 14, and Corey Joseph knocked in 10.
Despite having a large lead, Tom Thibodeau was not satisfied until triple 0’s ran across the clock.
“The way teams are making up ground now, 20-point leads are nothing,” he said. Everyone is shooting 35-40 threes so you could make up ground in a hurry.”
Detroit’s coach Dwayne Casey was very adamant that his team underperformed even though they had a good practice this morning.
“New York came out much better. I take responsibility for it, I’m the coach of the team,” he said. “To come out and put a performance on like that, it’s unacceptable.”
Up Next:
Both teams will be back on the court on Monday, April 5th, at 7:00 pm. New York faces Brooklyn, while Detroit plays Oklahoma City.
