Pistons-Knicks Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Feb 04 2013 2:27PM

The New York Knicks continued their dominance of the Detroit Pistons on another continent last month.

They'll be in much more familiar surroundings Monday night.

Amare Stoudemire looks to build on his best performance of the season as the Knicks try to hand the Pistons their seventh straight loss at Madison Square Garden.

New York (30-15) beat Detroit 102-87 in London on Jan. 17 for its ninth win in the past 10 meetings. The Knicks are averaging 111.1 points during that stretch, and they're even better at 114.3 during their six-game home winning streak in the series.

They won the most recent matchup in Manhattan 121-100 on Nov. 25, while Stoudemire was recovering from left knee surgery. He'll be on the Garden court this time, and he's averaging 17.5 points on 77.8 percent shooting during New York's 4-0 start to this five-game homestand.

Stoudemire's latest effort was nearly historic, as he connected on all 10 of his shots and scored 21 points as the Knicks used a 38-4 run to bury Sacramento 120-81 on Saturday. The big man finished one basket shy of tying the team record for field goals without a miss, held by Johnny Newman and Bernard King.

Stoudemire is averaging 13.5 points while coming off the bench in 15 games since returning from surgery.

"Dominate," Stoudemire said. "Dominate is the main objective. That's the only thought that I think when I go in the game. It feels great to provide a certain amount of energy to get us over the hump."

He's done his part against the Pistons (18-30) as a member of the Knicks, putting up 23.0 points per game in seven meetings. He scored 17 in just 20 minutes in London, hitting 11 of 12 from the free-throw line.

Carmelo Anthony, second in the NBA with an average of 28.5 points, had 26 in that game. He should be fresh after New York only needed nine from him Saturday - matching a season low - in 27 minutes.

With five games still to play, the Knicks already have their highest win total before the All-Star game since they entered the break at 34-14 during the 1996-97 season.

"We felt like we had a great team, a team with a lot of possibilities in training camp and we have to stick by it," said center Tyson Chandler, who has 20 rebounds in each of the last two games. "It's a long journey for us but we have the potential to be special."

The Pistons have dropped five of seven while surrendering an average of 101.3 points, but they will have Jose Calderon available for the first time Monday.

The Spanish point guard is finally expected to play after having his team debut delayed due to visa issues following his acquisition from Toronto in a three-team trade last week. He averaged 11.1 points and 7.4 assists with the Raptors this season.

Detroit could have used him Sunday in a 98-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, especially early. The Pistons fell behind by as many as 18 in the third quarter.

"We weren't moving the ball, we were over-dribbling the basketball and we weren't guarding anyone," coach Lawrence Frank said.

Their second-half rally fell just short when Andre Drummond's last-second alley-oop attempt didn't go.

Greg Monroe finished with 20 points and is averaging 19.7 on 59.0 percent shooting in his last six games. Will Bynum, who had 22 points against the Knicks last month, added 18 and 10 assists versus the Lakers.

Chandler has 20 boards again, Knicks rout Pistons

By BRIAN MAHONEY
Posted Feb 04 2013 11:26PM

NEW YORK (AP) The toughest part of Tyson Chandler's night was the postgame interview.

The California native and San Francisco 49ers fan, who had just tied a franchise record with his third straight 20-rebound game, was forced to face the media wearing a Ravens Super Bowl champion hat, payment of a lost bet with Baltimore fan Carmelo Anthony.

"That made my day. You just don't know," said Anthony, who stood across the locker room and watched Chandler's interview with a smile. "It was a good day for me, it just was a coincidence that he had three games with 20 rebounds. That picture will be everywhere."

That's about all that hasn't gone Chandler's way lately.

The veteran center added another highlight to his first All-Star season, Anthony scored 27 points, and the New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons 99-85 on Monday night for their fifth consecutive victory.

In a game that was decided early, Chandler played long enough to grab his 20th rebound midway through the fourth quarter. After grabbing 20 in victories on Friday and Saturday night, he became the first Knicks player to have 20 in three straight games since Hall of Famer Willis Reed in December 1969.

"That's what I expect," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "He can't tease me. He's done it three straight games, so I'm expecting it the fourth game."

Chandler has been on a tear since Woodson bluntly told him that he wasn't playing the kind of complete basketball that's expected of a player of his stature.

"He called me into his office and he said, `You're an All-Star, you need to start playing like it. The last thing you want is people questioning that," Chandler said. "The next night, I had a different focus about me."

Two nights after being held to nine points, snapping his franchise single-season record of 31 games in a row with 20 or more, Anthony matched that total in the first quarter and shot 10 of 17 from the field.

Amare Stoudemire added 20 points and J.R. Smith added 16, along with a couple of comedic highlights in a game that was mostly a yawner.

It was another lopsided victory for the Knicks, who beat Sacramento by 39 on Saturday and led this one by as many as 26 before easing up in the second half. They have jumped on the Pistons early in all three meetings this season, and after nearly rallying to beat the Lakers on Sunday, Detroit couldn't get really close in this one.

"The last two times we've played New York, they've dominated the first quarter," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "We put ourselves in such a hole that we start playing frustration basketball. Mentally we don't stay as focused or engaged as we need to be."

Newly acquired Jose Calderon scored 15 points in his Detroit debut, while Greg Monroe had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Woodson lost his chance to coach the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game Sunday when Miami's victory in Toronto gave Erik Spoelstra the nod. But Woodson still thinks the Knicks can be ahead of the Heat when the teams break on Feb. 15, saying he wanted the Knicks to go 9-2 in their 11 games leading into the weekend.

They're 6-1 now with winnable road games up next at Washington and Minnesota before they finish up at home against the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto.

"I knew guys might be thinking about All-Star break and where they might decide to go, and this is not the time to lay down and think about those things. You've got to still figure out how we can win games up until the break," Woodson said. "So that was the goal that we as coaches sat down and came up with, and they understand what's at stake here and what we're trying to do."

The Knicks scored 64 first-half points in a rout of the Pistons on Nov. 25 and jumped to a 16-2 lead in a 102-87 victory in London last month.

This time, it was 28-13 after one, grew to 33-13 early in the second, and peaked at 57-31 on Anthony's layup with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. The Knicks at one point had 10 3-pointers to the Pistons' 12 baskets, and on a couple of occasions it seemed Frank was practically calling a timeout before a Knicks shot finished going in.

Things were so easy that Knicks players - though not Woodson - had a good laugh when Smith threw up an airball on a free throw in the first half. Perhaps seeking some extra shooting, or maybe tougher competition, Smith came out during the halftime break, where a youth game was taking place. Smith tried to defend the inbound passer, then ran up the court with the kids, waving his arms to call for the ball.

Acquired last week in the three-team trade that sent Rudy Gay from Memphis to Toronto, Calderon was cleared to play Monday. The Spanish guard's debut had been on hold because of unresolved visa issues, and he was immediately put into the starting lineup once he was good to go.

"They've got to get used to me and I've got to get used to them," Calderon said. "It's going to be just time working together, practicing, games, whatever it takes. Everybody was just trying to help. We'll be OK. I like what I saw."

He was the lone bright spot much of the night. Rodney Stuckey added 14 points and Will Bynum had 13.

Notes: Monday was the anniversary of the start of Linsanity. Jeremy Lin came off the bench of a Feb. 4, 2012, game against the Nets and scored 25 points, sparking the Knicks to a victory and sending himself on the way to becoming a global phenomenon. ... The Knicks have won the last six meetings at home.

Notebook: Knicks 99, Pistons 85

Adam Zagoria, for NBA.com
Posted Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:27 PM - Updated Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:27 PM

THE FACTS: Carmelo Anthony went for 27 points and seven rebounds, Amar'e Stoudemire scored 20 points and J.R. Smith added 16 as the Knicks won their fifth straight, beating the Detroit Pistons, 99-85, at Madison Square Garden.

Tyson Chandler added 20 rebounds and eight points for New York (31-15), which remains half a game behind the Miami Heat for the best record in the East. Chandler notched 20 boards for the third straight outing, becoming the first Knick to do so since Willis Reed in 1969.

Jose Calderon scored 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting and dished three assists in his debut for the Pistons (18-31), who lost for the fourth time in five games. Rodney Stuckey added 14 points and Greg Monroe and Will Bynum tallied 13 apiece.

QUOTABLE: "Anytime you get your name in a Knicks' franchise book, it's huge so I'm just very thankful for this moment."
-- Chandler on MSG.

THE STAT: The Knicks went shot 14-of-34 from beyond the arc, while the Pistons went 3-of-13. Anthony was 3-of-5 from deep and Smith was 5-of-13.

THE STAT II: After having his franchise-record 31-game streak of scoring 20+ points interrupted in Saturday's rout of Sacramento, Anthony began another such streak.

TURNING POINT: The Knicks got off to a quick start, using a 16-4 first-quarter spurt en route to a 28-13 lead after one. They hit four 3-pointers during the run, one apiece by Jason Kidd, Iman Shumpert, Anthony and Smith. By halftime, the Knicks led 57-36.

QUOTABLE II: "He's done it three straight games so I'm expecting it for four games. Get 20 rebounds."
-- Knicks coach Mike Woodson on Chandler.

WHO'S HOT: Stoudemire continues to score effectively in the low post. He was 8-of-14 from the field after entering averaging 18 points and 5.8 boards in his last five outings. He went 10-of-10 on Saturday against the Kings.

WHO'S NOT: Pistons rookie Andre Drummond played only eight minutes, going 1-of-6 for two points and five boards.

QUOTABLE III: "We've been playing very hard as a team. It's all about team defense, team offense, we've been sharing the ball."
-- Chandler.

NOTABLE: Rasheed Wallace (stress reaction left foot) hasn't played for the Knicks since Dec. 13, but coach Woodson said he expects Wallace ? and possibly Marcus Camby (plantar fasciitis) ? back after the All-Star break. "I just think they'll be ready once the All-Star" ends, Woodson said Monday. "For sure Rasheed but I don't know about Camby at this point. They'll continue to do their therapy work through the break and when we come back and start practice, I'm hoping to have one of them back, hopefully Rasheed." Wallace was initially diagnosed with a sore left foot, but the Knicks later called it a "stress reaction" following a report. Woodson said he doesn't expect Wallace to play more than 10 minutes a game when he does return.

QUOTABLE IV: "If we continue the pace that we set some games ago, we will put ourselves in position to be at the top of the East, if not right there."
-- Woodson, whose team has won eight of 10.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Michael J. Fox sat courtside.

NEXT: For the Knicks, Wednesday @ Washington, Friday @ Minnesota, Sunday vs. L.A. Clippers. For the Pistons, Wednesday vs. Brooklyn, Friday vs. San Antonio, Saturday @ Milwaukee.

• Pistons: Maggette
• Knicks: Camby, Wallace

• Pistons: --
• Knicks: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #11 Derrick Collins, #72 J.T. Orr
• Attendance: 19033
• Duration: 2:09