NEW YORK — Mitchell Robinson had his bounce back.
After 30 games of inconsistencies and struggling and griping on social media, Robinson sent a reminder Tuesday about his potential, dropping 17 points with 14 rebounds and three blocks in a victory over Pistons.
It was a throwback to Robinson’s performances before the broken foot and the weight gain sapped his bounce, when he became an All-Rookie selection and appeared destined to be New York’s center of the future.
The Knicks (14-17) outscored the sad-sack Pistons (5-25) by 25 points with Robinson in the lineup. He owned the paint on both ends, assisted by the penetrating and playmaking presence of Kemba Walker.
The Knicks were again shorthanded with six players in COVID-19 protocols and Derrick Rose out with an ankle injury. Walker started at point guard again, three days after he returned to the lineup from a three-week stretch of DNPs ordered by coach Tom Thibodeau.
Walker made it known he felt disrespected by Thibodeau’s decision to remove him completely from the rotation. He responded by scoring over 20 points in consecutive games, including his 21-point effort Tuesday in 39 minutes on 8-of-21 shooting. It’s unclear what happens to Walker once his teammates return from injury and COVID-19 protocols – and scouts remain concerned about his knee pain flaring up with extended minutes – but the 31-year-old demonstrated he’s capable of helping the Knicks.
The Pistons were a soft landing spot. They own the NBA’s worst record, and only two days prior snapped a 14-game losing streak. Their awful shooting was on display at MSG, where Detroit missed 25 of its 33 3-point attempts.
The Pistons haven’t been affected by COVID-19 but Tuesday didn’t have their best player Jerami Grant (thumb injury) or their coach Dwane Casey (personal reasons).
They relied heavily Tuesday on youngsters such as Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart and Hamidou Diallo. Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, was underwhelming while scoring just seven points on 2-of-13 shooting.
The Knicks’ COVID-19 circumstances forced them to play Wayne Selden, who logged nine minutes, and Damyean Dotson, who signed a 10-day contract the morning of the game. Dotson, who was drafted by the Knicks in 2017, was scoreless in four minutes.
Evan Fournier scored 22 and Julius Randle added 21 for the Knicks, who led by as many as 22 in the third quarter.
