Pistons crush the Knicks by 31 to strengthen their hold on the No. 1 seed in the East—Cunningham posts 29 and 13 assists, Brunson scores 25.

On January 6 (Beijing time), the Detroit Pistons hosted the New York Knicks in a regular-season matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Despite playing the second night of a back-to-back, Detroit dominated on both ends of the floor and cruised to a 121–90 win. The Pistons secured their second straight victory and remained first in the East, while the Knicks suffered their fourth consecutive loss.

Box Score Highlights

Pistons: Cunningham 29 pts, 3 reb, 13 ast, 2 blk; Green 17 pts, 2 reb, 2 stl; Ivey 16 pts; Jenkins 12 pts, 4 ast, 2 blk; Ausar 10 pts, 7 reb.
Knicks: Brunson 25 pts; McBride 17 pts; Bridges 10 pts; Kolek 9 pts; Clarkson 8 pts; Towns 6 pts.

Game Recap

Detroit edged Cleveland 114–110 in their previous game, while New York came in on a three-game losing streak. The Knicks were without Hart and Shamet, and the Pistons were missing Duren and Harris.

The first quarter was tight. Brunson scored 12 early points for New York, but Detroit matched the pace behind Cunningham’s efficient start. The Pistons led 30–29 after one.

In the second quarter, Detroit’s team offense took over. Even though Cunningham only scored two points in the period, the Pistons outscored the Knicks 34–25, taking a 64–54 lead into halftime.

After the break, Detroit’s defense tightened further, holding New York under 20 points for the first time in the game. Cunningham erupted for 15 points in the third, matching the Knicks’ entire team output in that quarter. Detroit won the third 25–15 and led 89–69.

In the fourth, the Pistons kept rolling, pushing the lead beyond 30 and closing out a comfortable 121–90 victory.

Starters
Pistons: Ausar, Reid, Stewart, Cunningham, Dunro
Knicks: Anunoby, Bridges, Robinson, Towns, Brunson