(Field Level media) Andre Drummond had 27 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and Tony Snell made all nine of his shot attempts while scoring a season-high 24 points as the host Detroit Pistons cruised past the New York Knicks 122-102 yesterday.
Markieff Morris supplied 22 points and five assists for the Pistons, who were once again without three of their top players. All-Star forward Blake Griffin remained sidelined due to hamstring and knee injuries. The team’s top point guards, Reggie Jackson (back) and Derrick Rose (hamstring), were also in street clothes.
Their absence didn’t hurt the Pistons’ ball movement, as they racked up 37 assists and shot 55.7 percent from the field.
Langston Galloway added 13 points off the bench, while Luke Kennard chipped in 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Bruce Brown, who started at point guard, tossed in nine points and added six assists.
Julius Randle led the Knicks with 20 points. Marcus Morris contributed 18 points, while rookie RJ Barrett had 15 points, six rebounds and eight assists for New York, which has lost four straight and seven of eight to start the season. Kevin Knox added 14 points for the Knicks, who shot 44.8 percent from the field.
Snell made six baskets in the first half as the Pistons grabbed a 64-59 halftime lead. Randle allowed the Knicks to stay close by scoring 17 points.
With the game tied at 69, Markieff Morris drained a 3-pointer with 7:50 left in the third quarter. Randle was handed a flagrant 1 foul on the play and Morris made the free throw. Drummond and Brown then dropped in back-to-back layups and a Galloway basket finished off a 15-3 Pistons run to make it 84-72.
The Pistons carried a 96-85 advantage into the fourth quarter.
A Snell 3-pointer with 7:38 remaining increased Detroit’s lead to 17 at 106-89. A frustrated Marcus Morris spiked the ball with 6:26 left, resulting in a technical and a Galloway free throw for a 111-93 Pistons lead. The Pistons won all four meetings between the teams last season.