Knicks demolish Pistons to stretch win streak

Julius Randle had 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists as the visiting New York Knicks recorded their third straight victory by rolling past the Detroit Pistons, 109-90, on Sunday, February 28 (Monday, March 1, Manila time).

RJ Barrett supplied 21 points and 5 rebounds, while Alec Burks contributed 16 points off the bench.

Derrick Rose, who was traded by the Pistons earlier this month, had 14 points and 5 assists for New York against his former team.

Immanuel Quickley tossed in 12 points for the Knicks and Nerlens Noel added 8 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.

Jerami Grant led the Pistons, who have lost 3 straight, with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Wayne Ellington contributed 15 points off the bench. Josh Jackson added 12 points and Saddiq Bey chipped in 10 for Detroit.

New York, which defeated Indiana 110-107 on Saturday, shot 51.2% from the field and made half of its 26 three-point attempts. Detroit was held to 38.4% shooting and made just 9-of-32 three-point tries (28.1%).

The Pistons shot just 30.8% from the field in the first half and trailed 48-37 at halftime.

Noel had 3 of the Knicks’ 7 blocks before the break. Barrett led the early offense with 12 points and Burks provided a 10-point boost.

A Barrett three-point play in the opening seconds of the second half set the tone for the 3rd quarter. Detroit pulled within 9 points on two occasions, then the Knicks took full control.

A three-point play by Randle began a 17-5 Knicks run. Randle knocked down a three-pointer, a stepback shot, and a mid-range pullup during the run. A three-pointer by Reggie Bullock and a dunk for Noel, both set up by Rose feeds, made it 72-51.

New York eventually pushed the advantage to 81-57 on a Rose three-pointer. The Knicks were up 83-64 heading into the final quarter.

Detroit could not mount a comeback. The teams will meet again, this time in New York, on Thursday just prior to the All-Star break. – Rappler.com