Pistons at Knicks
The New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons are both trying to carve themselves out some space in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and both are coming off losses to the Boston Celtics. The Knicks will try to snap a four-game slide when they host the Pistons on Tuesday.
New York used a four-game winning streak to reach .500 but promptly dropped the next four, capped by the 100-91 loss at Boston that ended a three-game road trip on Sunday. The Knicks had a difficult time generating offense from anyone other than Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony in the latest loss, and Porzingis’ inconsistency in December hampers the offense. The Pistons will challenge that frontcourt with Marcus Morris, Ersan Ilyasova and Andre Drummond, who recorded 22 points and 22 rebounds in the 99-93 loss to Boston on Saturday for his fifth 20-20 game of the campaign. Detroit shot 38.5 percent in the loss and is trying to figure out ways to get the ball moving more on the offensive end.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (17-14): Detroit has dropped back-to-back games despite getting 20-plus points from Drummond in each. “Andre I thought played well offensively, but he was only 9-for-21,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters after Saturday’s loss. “All of his shots were around the basket, yeah and we didn’t make shots on the perimeter. But when the ball doesn’t move or there’s not crispness and there is no energy, that’s what ends up happening and it just sort of all products of the same thing. I thought we were very lethargic offensively.” Detroit went 6-of-25 from 3-point range in the loss and is in the bottom third of the league in 3-point percentage at 33.1.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (14-18): Porzingis managed 16 points on Sunday but went 4-of-13 from the field and is shooting 40.9 percent from the field in December. The 7-3 Latvian has not recorded back-to-back games scoring in double figures since beginning the month with four straight. Porzingis has been joined in his slump by shooting guard Arron Afflalo, who is 14-of-45 from the field during the losing streak including 1-of-14 from beyond the arc.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pistons took three of the four meetings last season.
2. Anthony has recorded back-to-back double-doubles and is averaging 24.3 points in his last four games.
3. Detroit G Brandon Jennings (Achilles) has rejoined the team and could make his season debut on Tuesday.