Make it three in a row.
In a potential first-round playoff preview, the Detroit Pistons took their third in four games against the New York Knicks with a 115-106 victory at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday. With the win, the Pistons (44-36) tie their most wins since 2007-08, with two games remaining in the season.
Those two games are against the team directly ahead of them in the standings, the Milwaukee Bucks, on Friday in Detroit and Sunday on the road; the Pistons, who entered Thursday two games behind the Bucks, can pass Milwaukee for the 5-seed in the NBA playoffs with a pair of wins. A loss in either game would lock the Pistons into the 6-seed and a matchup with the 3 seed — currently, the Knicks.
Thursday was the Pistons' first over the Knicks at LCA, after winning the previous two at Madison Square Garden. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 36 points and eight assists, and Jalen Duren added 18 points and 13 rebounds. Ron Holland scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter to help them close out the win and also grabbed five rebounds.
Tobias Harris (right heel soreness) returned after missing five of the Pistons’ previous six games and scored 17 points. The Knicks were without OG Anunoby (right thumb sprain), Josh Hart (right knee patellofemoral syndrome) and MItchell Robinson (left ankle surgery injury recovery). They were led by Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 25 points and 10 assists.
The Pistons held the Knicks to 40% shooting and forced five turnovers in the fourth quarter, which they won 30-21. They trailed by as many as 13 but won the second half by 15 points, shooting 60% while holding the Knicks to 35.4% shooting through the final two periods.
Cade Cunningham goes off against Knicks (again)
The Knicks were unable to solve Cunningham this season. He led the Pistons to their first win over New York in 16 games on Dec. 7 with a triple-double — 29 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. Cunningham also led the Pistons to their second straight win at Madison Square Garden Jan. 13, with 36 points on 14-for-27 shooting.
The Pistons' All-Star was on a mission Wednesday. After the Knicks extended their lead to 11 with 3:25 remaining before halftime, Cunningham scored or assisted the Pistons’ final 11 points of the half to narrow the deficit to six, 62-56.
He picked on the Knicks’ small backcourt of Brunson and Miles McBride, getting inside for a dunk and a hook before assisting a dunk for Duren and a catch-and-shoot 3 for Tim Hardaway Jr. With 9.8 seconds left, he knocked down a pair of free throws.
Cunningham’s onslaught continued in the second half, opening it with a pullup midrange jumper before finding Duren for a dunk to extend his personal run to 15-straight points scored or assisted. He scored 14 of his 36 points in the third, ...
