Detroit Pistons rally, but lose 16th straight after falling against New York Knicks
With a win within reach for the first time in more than a week, the Detroit Pistons went cold at an inconvenient time.
Trailing by six with just under three minutes to go, they missed a trio of 3-pointers — two by Isaiah Livers, and one by Isaiah Stewart — and didn’t score their next field goal until 42 seconds remained. In that stretch, they were outscored by the New York Knicks, 9-3, and felt short.
The Knicks defeated the Pistons, 118-112, at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. It's their 16th-straight loss, adding to their misfortune after setting a franchise-record with their 15th in a 133-107 smackdown by the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.
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Detroit overcame a 16-point deficit early in the second quarter and took the lead over New York, 74-72, with 4:38 to play before halftime. It was their first lead since the 6:23 mark of the first. Despite shooting 53.1% overall as a team, Detroit was hurt by 20 turnovers and 25 personal fouls that gave the Knicks a 28-17 advantage at the free-throw line.
The Pistons got big scoring nights from Cade Cunningham (31 points, eight assists, 12-for-20 overall shooting), Killian Hayes (21 points, 10-for-13 shooting) and Marcus Sasser (17 points, 5-for-7 from 3). But they were outdone by Jalen Brunson, who erupted for 42 points and eight assists, shooting 13-for-24 overall. Julius Randle added 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Cunningham thrives off ball
Four of Cunningham’s seven first-half buckets were assisted. He got on the board midway through the first thanks to a pair of dimes from Hayes. He whipped a baseline pass from the top of the key to Cunningham in the corner for an open 3, and hit Cunningham against for a layup as he cut baseline.
In the second, Isaiah Livers grabbed a Cunningham missed 3 and sent the ball right back to him, and Cunningham splashed the shot. His third and fourth 3-pointers capped a 20-7 run to close out the first half that tied the game at 54. He received a pass in the corner from Sasser — who had a hot second quarter of his own — and hit it. Cunningham took matters into his own hands for the final points of the half, knocking down a stepback 3.
Rather than fight through crowds, Cunningham got into an early rhythm by cutting and knocking down open catch-and-shoot attempts. He still committed four turnovers in that span, but his off-ball gravity opened things up for his teammates. Eight of his 11 first-half attempts were 3-pointers. Detroit shot 14-for-23 (60.9%) and outscored the Knicks, 37-24, in the second quarter, while holding them to 38.1% shooting.
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Hayes, Sasser give Pistons offensive lift
Both Hayes and Sasser struggled to score the ball leading up to Thursday. Hayes shot 35% overall and 16.7% from 3 in his previous seven games, and Sasser cooled off significantly after scoring a career-high 26 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 8. In his following nine games, he slumped to 32.7% overall and 20% from 3.
The two guards, alongside Cunningham, were the biggest factors in the Pistons erasing a 16-point deficit early in the second quarter. Hayes finished a pair of layups through contact — one leading to a 3-point play — to extend an 8-0 Pistons run that cut New York’s lead in half.
Sasser checked in midway through the second with the Pistons trailing by 13, and almost immediately caught fire. The rookie guard hit four 3-pointers in the final five minutes of the half, including a deep stepback, heat check that cut the deficit to four. He then assisted the first of two Cunningham 3-pointers that tied the game at 54.
Hayes stayed hot in the fourth, swishing a 3-pointer with 4:59 remaining to cut the deficit to 106-103. But Detroit went cold from there, giving up a 9-0 run that allowed the Knicks to clinch the win.
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New starting lineup
Williams hinted that there would be changes to Detroit’s starting lineup following their 26-point blowout to the Lakers. Like many teams have this season, the Lakers packed the paint and made life tough for Cunningham and Ivey. Williams acknowledged that the two guards need better spacing.
“The spacing on the floor isn’t great for those guys, and when they take that pick and roll alley away to the basket, guys on the backside gotta knock down the shots,” Williams said. “That’s just NBA basketball. Any time the paint is crowded, it’s going to be pretty tough for Cade and Jaden to be efficient. We have to figure out spacing, and get guys in there that can knock down shots.”
The Pistons rolled with a new first unit, swapping Ivey and Ausar Thompson for Livers and Hayes. They played their most competitive game since Hayes was last a starter on Nov. 17 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and hit shot-making helped the team stay afloat in a back-and-forth game.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
Next up: Cavaliers
Matchup: Pistons (2-17) vs. Cleveland (10-8).
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Saturday; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit Extra; WWJ-AM (950).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons rally, but lose 16th straight, at New York Knicks
