The Knicks’ Three-Game Win Streak Is Over
The New York Knicks spent the first six weeks of the NBA season searching for consistency, as well as the players that would figure to be regulars in the starting rotation and off the bench. It took awhile, but David Fizdale’s team has slowly come along of late.
The team they were facing on Tuesday night could say the same.
The Detroit Pistons cooled off the New York Knicks with a 115-108 victory on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena to end New York’s three-game winning streak.
Blake Griffin scored a game-high 30 points for the Detroit Pistons as they won their third straight game and seventh out of their past 10.
Griffin didn’t have it going from downtown or from the field, but he was impactful in the paint, a hard man to guard for New York as he finished the game with 16 free throw attempts.
Free throws were in favor of Detroit on the night, who despite missing 13 free throws, made 32 of them. The New York Knicks made 27 of their 32 free throw attempts.
Oft inconsistent on offense, Stanley Johnson was an x-factor that New York could not handle as he scored 21 points, making seven of his nine shot attempts while creating havoic with three blocks and a steal in 28 minutes of action.
It was a tough shooting night for the New York Knicks from beyond the arc as well as in the paint as the Knicks scored just 38 points in the paint, a stat Detroit dominated in with 56 points in the paint.
New York trailed throughout this game after a brief 15-7 lead in the opening quarter. They fell behind by 16 points midway through the second quarter before closing the half strong to trail 51-43 in the Motor City.
Finding consistency and balance on both ends of the floor over their past three games coming in, New York could not find it in Detroit on Tuesday, trading baskets at their best and putting Detroit on the free throw line whenever they tried to rally.
Still, the team showed fight to the bitter end after trailing by 17 in the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to seven points with 57.5 seconds to go before going on to lose by that exact spread to fall to 7-15 on the young season.
Allonzo Trier was fantastic for the New York Knicks, scoring a team-high 24 points to go along with career-highs of 10 rebounds and seven assists in 31 minutes off the bench. Of most significant, his aggression and will to get to the rim and score as he also attempted 12 free throws, a new high for him as well.
Enes Kanter continued to be a strong presence on the glass and on offense as he finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, recording his 15th double-double of the 2018-19 campaign.
If you’re a Knicks fan, you may be getting concerned with Frank Ntilikina, who went scoreless on three shot attempts and picked up three fouls in 15 minutes off the bench.
Over the past three games he’s seen his minutes dip well below his pace to begin the season, where he averaged 30 minutes in October.
He’s shooting 32 percent from the field in November, mirroring his dreadful month of January last season when he shot 31 percent from the field. A liability on offense and not much of an upgrade on defense, keep an eye on David Fizdale’s usage of Ntilikina moving forward.
It’s not worth mentioning that he started 14 games for New York before being benched earlier this month in favor of Emmanuel Mudiay. Fizdale has made it clear that minutes are earned, and based off tonight, only a few Knicks guaranteed themselves more minutes in New York’s next matchup.
The New York Knicks will visit the city of Brotherly love for the first time this season as they play the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.
What are your thoughts on New York’s winning streak being snapped? Leave your comments below!
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