The Knicks found the cure to all their ailments: the lowly Detroit Pistons.
Clearly motivated to right their wrongs of the last week, the Knicks took it out on the Pistons on Saturday night, emphatically snapping a three-game winning streak and sending Julius Randle back on track in a 125-81 breeze in Motown.
It was such a laugher that Tom Thibodeau sat his starters for the entire fourth quarter, a luxury he rarely, if ever, extends because the coach always believes the game is in doubt.
Not on Saturday. The 44-point victory represented the franchise’s largest margin since 1996. Even Thibodeau could feel comfortable.
The game was hilariously over within minutes of the opening tip. The Knicks (25-25) scored the first 14 points. They led 30-7 and then by 26 at the end of the quarter. Randle, who was coming off a dud the previous night against the Mavericks, scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter, finishing with eight rebounds in 30 minutes.
The Pistons (14-35) never got closer than 17 in the second half.
Detroit is terrible, of course, a mismatched roster of unskilled players collected by rookie GM Troy Weaver. But it was still an impressive performance from the Knicks considering they lost the night prior in Madison Square Garden and flew to Detroit for the second game of a back-to-back.
Randle is the team’s engine and he got them going early. In the loss to Dallas on Friday, the 26-year-old managed just 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting with five turnovers. He eclipsed that point total in less than seven minutes against Detroit, shooting 9-of-16 on the night.
RJ Barrett also bounced back with an efficient 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Elfrid Payton had 11 points and nine assists in 25 minutes.
Randle had been bothered by a thigh contusion, but never used it as an excuse.
“I’m fine,” said Randle, who leads the league in total minutes, then repeated, “I’m fine.”
It was a different vibe the last three games, defeats to the Heat, Timberwolves and Mavericks. A “funk,” as Thibodeau described it, had infiltrated the Knicks roster.
“I think that we’re at a point in the season where if you play this many games, every player in the league has something right now,” Thibodeau said of his players’ health. “That’s pro sports. We have to manage that, we have to play better. Right now, we’re in a little bit of a funk and we’ve got to work our way out of it.”
Thank you, Detroit. The Knicks completed their season sweep of the Eastern Conference bottom dwellers. But the schedule gets tougher with three games upcoming against the Nets, Celtics and Grizzlies.
A little over two-thirds through the season, the Knicks are now in sole possession of seventh in the Eastern Conference but just 1/2 game ahead of the Celtics. They have to finish sixth to avoid a play-in tournament, and would have to win two play-in games if they slip to ninth. Before Saturday’s rout, Thibodeau believed the team’s issues were fixable and not indicative of slamming against the proverbial wall.
“We still have to get it done and I believe this team will,” the coach said. “We have to do better and we will.”
