Pistons Defeat Knicks Behind Cunningham’s Stellar Performance
– Cade Cunningham delivered a dominant performance with 42 points and 13 assists, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 126-111 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday night. The win marked the Pistons’ third against the Knicks this season.
The game, played in New York, saw the Pistons overcome an early Knicks lead. New York initially jumped ahead, establishing their largest lead of the night at 9-2. However, Detroit responded with a 21-8 run to seize control, a lead they would not relinquish.
Detroit continued to build momentum, closing the second quarter on a 7-0 run and taking a 58-48 advantage into halftime. The Knicks attempted to rally in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to 62-60 early on, but back-to-back three-pointers from Duncan Robinson helped the Pistons extend their lead to 13 points before the period ended with a 90-79 score.
The Pistons further solidified their dominance in the fourth quarter, pushing their lead to a game-high 19 points with a tip-in by Daniss Jenkins with 7:50 remaining. Despite a late push from the Knicks, highlighted by a three-pointer from Jalen Brunson with 1:33 left, they were unable to close the gap, ultimately falling short.
Brunson led the Knicks with 30 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 21 points and 11 rebounds. Landry Shamet added 15 points and Josh Hart scored 11 for New York. However, the Knicks struggled from beyond the arc, shooting a dismal 23% (8 of 35) from three-point range.
Alongside Cunningham’s impressive performance, Paul Reed scored 18 points, Tobias Harris had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Ausar Thompson added 10 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons. Detroit’s team shooting percentage was 52% (48-93) from the field, and 43% (13-30) from three-point range. They also capitalized at the free-throw line, shooting 85% (17-20).
The Pistons were without key players Jalen Duran, their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, and Isaiah Stewart, who averages 10 points. Both players are currently serving suspensions stemming from their involvement in a brawl during a game against Charlotte on .
Looking ahead, the Pistons will travel to Chicago to face the Bulls on Saturday. The Knicks will return home to host the Houston Rockets on the same day.
The game saw a win probability consistently favoring Detroit throughout, according to ESPN Analytics. Detroit led for approximately 86% of the game.
Team statistics revealed that Detroit secured 44 rebounds compared to New York’s 38. The Pistons also committed 15 turnovers, while the Knicks had 12.
Cunningham also recorded 13 assists and 5 turnovers in 38 minutes of play. Jalen Brunson had 6 turnovers in his 38 minutes.
