New York gets their third straight win but didn’t play great offensively. Alec Burks led the Knicks with 34 points to win against the Pistons, 94-85. Saddiq Bey led the Pistons in points with 32 points tonight against the Knicks.

Game Recap

Knicks Bench Played Great

The Knicks had a 65-7 advantage on bench points. Only three players for the Knicks scored in double-digits, which were R.J. Barrett with 15 points, Alec Burks with 34 points, and Immanuel Quickley with 18 points. Kemba Walker and Julius Randle combined for seven points against the Pistons.

Pistons Only Have Two players Score In Double-Digits

Other than Saddiq Bey’s 32 points, the only scorer in double-digits was Hamidou Diallo, with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Bey and Diallo scored 74.1% of the points against the Knicks. No other scorer for the Pistons showed up.

Slow First Half

After the Knicks 7-0 run to start the game, many Knicks fans would have been a blowout game. But, the Pistons responded with their own 8-0 run starting by Hamidou Diallo. Immanuel Quickley’s three-pointer to give Knicks the 19-18 lead helped set for a great second quarter.

New York started the second quarter with a 13-2 to get their most significant lead of the night at 13 points. Detroit did creep back within seven points to finish the half at 48-41. The Knicks shot 25% from the three-point line but 52% from the field.

Detroit Takes Lead

Detroit started the second half with a 12-0 run to get control of the lead. That run included Hamidou Diallo’s four points and a three-pointer Derrick Walton Jr to finish the run. The Detroit momentum led them to build a 14 point lead at the 3:18 minute third-quarter mark. A Burks and one helped lead the start of the comeback with 0.4 in the quarter. New York shot 19% from the field and 0% from the three-point. It was one of the worst quarters by the Knicks this season.

Knicks Complete Comeback

The fourth quarter began the same way as the third quarter, but the Knicks went on a 12-0 to start the quarter against the Pistons. Burks, Quickley, and Toppin led the Knicks to command the game. Two Diallo free throws brought the lead down to five at the 3:04 mark, but Burks responded with two three-pointers to finish the game and get the 94-85 win in Detroit.

Final Thoughts

Walker and Randle Struggle

These young guys have earned their minutes after tonight’s game. Walker playing 20 minutes and Randle playing 26 minutes should be a learning lesson for both guys. Burks and Quickley can’t win by themselves and will need help to compete against the best teams in the NBA. Randle must find his rhythm back before it’s too late. A win is a win, and Burks played a great game against the Pistons.

Pistons Struggle Finishing Games

In their last three games, Detroit has had two games finished within 10 points. That’s not a good sign for a young team. But they are still in a rebuild mode, but the good news is that Cade Cunningham will have a chance to play when the new year starts on Saturday.

Up Next

New York will travel to Oklahoma City on Friday.

Detroit will host San Antonio on Saturday.

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