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DETROIT — An eight-game profitable streak didn’t simply finish Friday night time.
It was run out of the health club.
The Pistons reiterated their place atop the East with a 118-80 curb stomp of the short-handed Knicks, who had been a catastrophe on offense whereas shedding for the primary time since Jan. 19.
Jalen Brunson low-lighted the night whereas taking pictures simply 4-for-20 with 12 factors, showing exhausted after carrying the Knicks in a double-OT thriller two nights earlier.
Brunson was locked down by Ausar Thompson and sat your entire fourth quarter alongside his fellow starters, with coach Mike Brown waving the white flag sooner than ever.
Total, they shot simply 35.8 p.c — together with 24.2 p.c on 3s — with James Dolan making the journey to Detroit and watching the ugliness earlier than leaving his courtside seat for the fourth quarter.
It was the fewest factors scored by the Knicks this season, by far.
Their earlier low was 90 factors — additionally in Detroit.
The Pistons (38-13), who are actually 5 ½ video games forward of the Knicks (33-19) for first within the East, had been sooner, stronger and extra motivated — identical to their final matchup a few month in the past.
They clearly needed to ship one other message after getting eradicated by New York within the first spherical of final yr’s playoffs.
Message obtained.
Detroit didn’t even want a giant night time from star Cade Cunningham (11 factors, 22 minutes) to dominate.
The Knicks, in the meantime, carried the posture of punting this recreation.
Jose Alvarado, the brand new acquisition, didn’t be a part of the workforce in Detroit.
He’ll possible meet the Knicks in Boston for Sunday’s recreation.
Karl-Anthony Cities sat due to an eye fixed laceration.
OG Anunoby was a late scratch due to toe soreness.
Josh Hart began however limped off the court docket within the second half and by no means returned.
So the Knicks began rookie Mohamed Diawara and Mitchell Robinson and their offense fell off a cliff.
In fact, the Pistons — a workforce that applies physicality and athleticism at ranges above the Knicks — had so much to do with the struggles.
In two video games towards the Pistons, the Knicks have averaged 85 factors, with their whole margin of defeat at 69.
It’s a probably ominous signal contemplating the Knicks and Pistons might meet within the playoffs, whether or not within the second spherical or convention finals.
However coach Mike Brown doesn’t view it that method.
“I don’t have a look at regular-season video games as a barometer as a result of, come playoffs, it’s a distinct basketball recreation,” he mentioned. “Particularly once you speak about a seven-game sequence. I’ve been with completely different groups that went to the finals or performed deep within the playoffs that misplaced the season sequence to groups and nonetheless gained within the playoffs.
“I have a look at it because it’s our subsequent recreation,” he added. “It’s crucial. These guys handed our lunch to us final time. And so, we have to come combating. These are issues I’m searching for tonight.
“I don’t have a look at it like if we win, hey, we’re going to get them come playoff time. Or in the event that they win, they’re going to get us come playoff time.”
The Knicks can fall again on historical past if we ever get to a different playoff sequence towards the Pistons.
They had been swept within the common season by the Celtics final yr however toppled them within the second spherical.
So there’s certainly hope it doesn’t matter what occurs within the common season.
However there’s no query the Knicks have seemed totally overmatched by Detroit in two ugly video games.
On Friday, they managed simply 17 factors within the first quarter and 42 after the second.
They trailed by 21 on the break, which ended, appropriately, with Brunson getting rejected on the buzzer by Paul Reed.
For the Knicks, it was terrible to that time and didn’t get higher.
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