Pistons 98, Knicks 95
Greg Monroe had 23 points and 18 rebounds as host Detroit held off a furious rally to snap a three-game losing streak to begin the season.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made four 3-pointers en route to 20 points for the Pistons, who shot just 36.8 percent but made 11-of-23 from beyond the arc. Jonas Jerebko had three of those 11 triples while both Brandon Jennings and D.J. Augustin finished with 12 points.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Jason Smith registered 17 points in his first start for New York, which attempted just 10 free throws. Leading scorer Carmelo Anthony missed his first nine shots and finished 5-of-21 from the floor while Iman Shumpert and Amar'e Stoudemire had 15 points apiece.
Jerebko hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to make it 75-57 late in the third and Augustin buried another for an 81-64 advantage with 10:02 left before the Knicks made a charge, using a 12-2 run to pull within 91-86 with under two minutes to go. Monroe ended the burst with a basket but Hardaway's 3-pointer made it 97-94 with seven ticks remaining and Caldwell-Pope missed two free throws at the other end before Detroit fouled Shumpert in the waning moments to prevent a potential tying 3-point try.
Smith hit his first five shots and was 7-for-8 from the floor in the first half but his teammates combined to go 8-for-31 as Detroit seized a 49-37 lead. Anthony's first basket came with 8:47 left in the third and pulled New York within nine points before Monroe had four points in a 9-2 burst as the Pistons restored their lead to 16 with 6:09 left in the stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Knicks SG J.R. Smith sat after being suspended for one game for striking Washington G Glen Rice Jr. in the groin Tuesday at home. ... Pistons SF Josh Smith had 10 rebounds and five assists but was 2-for-17 from the floor. ... New York PG Pablo Prigioni left early in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle and did not return.