Thursday evening was the 4th match up this season between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks. By now, both teams should be familiar with how their opponents organize and play their game. For the Pistons, that didn’t prove to be true, and they lost to the Knicks for the 3rd time this year.
Similar to most of the season, the Pistons struggled on all ends of the court, both offensively and defensively. The first quarter was the closest they came in points to the Knicks, but they never gave up the lead. During that time, the scoreboard was fairly close, the Knicks never gaining more than a 6-point advantage. However, the next three quarters the Pistons fell apart, and the Knicks once again dominated their home court.
In the second quarter, the pace picked up on both ends, but the Knicks intensity was much greater, especially at the end. With 3:52 left in the half, Isaiah Stewart made a two-point shot to get the Pistons up to 44 points. That’s where they would remain until there was less than 10 seconds on the clock. Meanwhile, the Knicks soared from 48 points to 59 in the closing seconds of the quarter, obtaining a 13-point lead into halftime.
As the game went on, the gap only increased in favor of the home team. There were multiple instances where the Knicks were on the break of a 20-point lead. It almost seemed that the more the game continued, the more tired the Pistons became, struggling to keep up. When the final quarter was beginning, the Knicks were pretty comfortable, sitting at a 19-point gain ahead of the Pistons.
Despite the Pistons efforts in the last part of the game, it was too little too late. There wasn’t any way they could bounce back after a frustrating 2nd and 3rd quarter. When the final buzzer went off to signal the end of the match, the Knicks were on top by ten; 114-104.
Top Players
Knicks: Julius Randle fought hard for the Knicks and was able to earn himself 27 points. This greatly helped them improve their record overall to 19-18 thus far. Randle also added 16 rebounds and 7 assists to the game sheet, along with 42 minutes played. Behind him was RJ Barrett who brought in 21 points and completed 100% of his free throws. Elfrid Payton was a big help as well, drawing out an additional 20 points and making most free throws.
Pistons: Wayne Ellington led the way for the Pistons with 17 points 3 assists. Ellington’s biggest help for his team was his free throws, making 100% of them. He also played the most minutes on
the court for the Pistons at 38. Saddiq Bey was next in line with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Commentary
After the game, Coach Casey spoke about the efforts from the Pistons and what could be improved. Casey claimed that, “…nobody can ever question your heart, how hard you play, and your grit.” He continued on to mention, “What we got to put into that now is thought and experience…but that’s one thing I never question about this team is how hard they play.”
Casey was also very pleased with Bey’s performance during the match as a young player. He stated, “I can see him growing and making the right play, right passes…” More than anything, he was impressed with the challenge he took up in attempting to mark Randle.
Steward also brought up the heart his team has and their potential. In an interview he responded, “We never stop fighting and we never quit, just continue to work…”
Up Next
Knicks travel to take on the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum Arena on Thursday, March 11th. Tipoff will be at 8:00 ET and streamed live on League Pass.
The Pistons remain on the road and will go against the Charlotte Hornets. This match is set for Thursday, March 11th at 7:00 ET at Spectrum Center. It will be broadcasted on NBA League Pass and Fox Sports Detroit.
