Yeah – that was the most fun game of the season so far. It was the first return to Little Caesars Arena for the New York Knicks since defeating the Detroit Pistons 4-2 in last year’s first round playoff series. Jalen Brunson’s crossover and jumper against Ausar Thompson was the final e to the Pistons’ season, and I’m sure Detroit had this one circled on their calendar. This one didn’t disappoint. Detroit was once again without Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren in the starting lineup, along with Caris LeVert off the bench. New York was actually favored in this game despite being the away team with a worse record. The Dawg Pound Duo of Isaiah Stewart and Paul Reed started again for the second straight game and they were able to get out to a quick 11-3 start. The first quarter turned into a battle of the point guards as both Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson had 12 points as they methodically attacked the opposing defense. After taking a 33-29 lead, Daniss Jenkins continued to show he belongs as an NBA guard with a couple of jumpers, back-to-back blocks, and a couple of nice assists to Paul Reed and Jaden Ivey. Detroit had a 55-50 lead with just over two minutes left and was able to push the lead to ten before the half. That’s when Detroit turned it up on both ends of the court. They held New York to only 15 points in the third quarter as the Pistons continued to shoot above 60% from the field. Cade had a role in all of Detroit’s first 14 points and had a monster of a chase down block on Miles McBride. He was shooting directly over McBride and Brunson like they weren’t even there. Cade had 29 points and 9 assists at the end of the third as Detroit took a 20-point lead heading into the fourth. JB Bickerstaff was able to empty his bench by the of the game as Detroit would go on to dominate New York by 31 points on their way to a 121-90 win. It was the greatest margin of victory for Detroit so far this season, and it was the lowest amount of points New York had put up all year. It was by far the best win of the season for the Pistons behind their MVP candidate Cade Cunningham who was clearly the best player on the floor. Detroit’s defense deserves its own shoutout. New York’s starting lineup, outside of Brunson, combined to go 7-for-21 from the field for a total of 23 points. OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns felt nonexistent. Jalen Brunson had 25 points on 21 shots and the boo-birds were out every time he touched the ball. Oh, and he finished with zero assists – compare that to Cade’s 13. Guards Daniss Jenkins (12), Javonte Green (17), and Jaden Ivey (16) had impactful scoring minutes off the bench. All three were incredibly efficient, and this was a particularly strong game for Ivey who looked comfortable getting to his spots and created multiple open looks for himself. Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson played some great defense whether that was full court against Brunson or swatting attempts at the rim. The two combined to get 17 points and 16 rebounds, and there seemed to be a noticeable attempt by JB Bickerstaff tonight to use Ausar more as roller while Stew spaced the floor. The Detroit Pistons are now 27-9 as they extend their Eastern Conference lead over the #2 New York Knicks at 23-13. Bing bong! The team will spend the next two weeks in Detroit with five straight home games, and the next one will be Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls at 7PM EST. Go Stones. ...read more read less