DETROIT _ The Knicks' team bus ran into some bad traffic on the way to Little Caesars Arena Tuesday night and ended up arriving a half hour later than they had planned.
The night went downhill from there as the Knicks ran into a physical Pistons team that left the Knicks feeling gridlocked and handed them a 115-108 loss.
The defeat served as a dose of reality for a young Knicks team that entered the game on a three-game win streak, their longest of the season.
The Knicks (7-15) made just 39.6 percent of their shots (36-for-91) with some of the players they count on for offense the most struggling. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points but went 5-for-15, including 2-for-7 from 3-point range. Emmanuel Mudiay, who has been hot lately, was held to nine points on 4-for-13 shooting.
Alonzo Trier led the Knicks with 24 points on 7-for-11 shooting in 31 minutes off the bench. Enes Kanter was the only other Knick to make 50 percent of his shots. Kanter finished with 16 points on 8-for-16 shooting and 14 rebounds.
The Pistons (11-7) were led by Blake Griffin's 30 points, while Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson each added 21.
The Knicks trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half when they made only 30 percent of their shots. Hardaway, Mudiay and Trey Burke combined to shoot 5-for-25. Hardaway did hit a 3-pointer at the end of the half, which made the score 51-43.
Coach David Fizdale said he was trying to keep his team on an even keel entering the game and not concentrating too much on wins and losses.
"You try not to get seduced by our success," Fizdale said of the attitude he wanted his team to have as they carried the three-game win streak into the game. "So, I'm just keeping them on that track right now."
The Knicks entered the game only three games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. While Fizdale has insisted that this season is about developing young players, it's clear that after winning three in a row some of the players wouldn't mind aiming a little higher.
"It's on everybody's mind. It's the goal to make the playoffs," Kanter said at the team's morning shootaround. "Right now the most (important) thing to do is to stay together, and win or lose, just get better, one person, every day. That's what we're trying to do."
Hardaway said the team is trying to balance looking to the future with the hope that they can do some things this season.
"Our focus is building this team and setting a foundation for the future, but also knowing we're a good, talented team," he said before the game. "Our talent, it doesn't really show in our record. We feel we're a better team. We're learning and building and getting this young group to close out games. I've feel we've done a lot better these last four games."
