(Sports Network) - The New York Knicks carry a four-game winning streak into
Monday night's home contest against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square
Garden.
The Knicks haven't lost since a Jan. 26 setback in Philadelphia against the
76ers. All four wins during this great run came at home and Monday's game
concludes a five-game homestand.
The most recent victory for the Knicks came Saturday night against the
Sacramento Kings, a 120-81 rout, which marked their second-highest scoring
output of the season. The top one came against these same Pistons on Nov. 25
in a 121-100 triumph.
What made the offensive outburst against the Kings all the more impressive was
the fact that Carmelo Anthony, who is second in the NBA in scoring, had only
nine points. It snapped a franchise record 31 straight games with at least 20
points.
"Tonight was one of those games where we tried to find it elsewhere," Anthony
said. "We didn't need my scoring tonight."
J.R. Smith led the way with 25 points and Amare Stoudemire added 21. Steve
Novak had 15 on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. Kurt Thomas chipped in 11
as those four bench players helped the reserves combine for 82 points.
Tyson Chandler, who will make his first All-Star appearance in a little less
than two weeks, also scored 11 points, but enjoyed his second straight game
with 20 rebounds.
The last time these two sides met was in London on Jan. 17. The Knicks won,
102-87, for their ninth victory in the last 10 meetings with the Pistons.
Since the game in England, the Pistons are 4-5 and losers in three of their
last four. On Sunday, Detroit lost a heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Lakers,
98-97, at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
After L.A.'s Earl Clark missed a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left on
the clock and the Lakers up one, Will Bynum, who cut the Pistons' deficit to
one with a slashing layup, drove the lane for a tough lay-in, but the ball
rattled out.
"It's tough," Bynum said about the shot. "I work so hard and I thrive to be in
situations like that. To be in there and not deliver is kind of crushing
sometimes, especially when my teammates and coaching staff trust me to make
the right decisions. It wasn't my night."
Greg Monroe paced the Pistons with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Bynum had 18 off
the bench and 10 assists. Three other Detroit players cracked the 10-point
mark.
The Pistons may finally get some help in the form of recently-acquired point
guard Jose Calderon. The Spaniard hasn't been able to play due to visa issues
following his trade from Toronto, but he may be available on Monday.
Detroit has lost six straight in New York and hasn't won at MSG since April 8,
2009.
The Sports Network