Detroit Pistons (41-13) beat New York Knicks (36-21) 126-111 on the road on Thursday, February 19, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pistons struck first, taking the opening quarter 28-26 and a 2-point lead after one. The Pistons kept the pressure on with a 30-22 second quarter, carrying a 10-point lead into halftime.
The Pistons won the third 32-31 to create some separation, taking a 11-point lead into the fourth. The Pistons took the fourth 36-32; the Pistons finished the job for a 126-111 regulation win.
What decided it
The Pistons got more from their shots, finishing at 58.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 51.7% for the Knicks. The Pistons grabbed 28.9% of their own misses, while the Knicks recovered 25%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Knicks did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 24.1 against 18.3. The Pistons made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Pistons produced 122.9 points per 100 possessions to 108.2 for the Knicks.
The Pistons' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 36-23.
Who made the difference
Cade Cunningham was the game's biggest individual force for DET: 42 pts, 8 reb, 13 ast on 17-34 shooting. His Game Score of 34.7 led everyone. His team was +12 with him on the floor.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast on 12-20 shooting, good for a 25.6 Game Score.
Karl-Anthony Towns (21 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast), Tobias Harris (11 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast), and Cade Cunningham (42 pts, 8 reb, 13 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 39% for the Pistons.
Across the last 12 meetings in our records, Detroit Pistons lead 7-5.
The Pistons are now 41-13, and the Knicks are 36-21. The Pistons last five before this game: W-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.