The New York Knicks finally snap that five-game losing streak against Detroit and more on the Joakim Noah news.
- New York Knicks 109 (28-46)
- Detroit Pistons 95 (34-40)
- NBA, Final, Box Score
- Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City
Carmelo Anthony (sore thigh) missed the last two games and in his absence, and they lost both games. Melo came back to the party against Detroit and played very well as they avoided clinching not making the playoffs. D-Rose also stepped up in the win.
The New York Knicks kept the game interesting at halftime but went on a 13–0 run to start the third quarter to stretch their five-point lead to 18. The Knickerbockers continued the Pistons cold streak by extending their three games losing streak to four games.
Melo poured in 21 in his return and had a significant impact on the game especially through ball movement (five assists). Melo in the lineup ensures the scoring New York needs every game.
After the San Antonio loss, Kristaps Porzingis said he need to do better; he led the New York Knicks with an efficient 25 points on 60 percent shooting.
Derrick Rose had another good game after scoring 20 points in San Antonio; Rose came back with another good performance. New York big three scored a total of 73 points. This game was the sixth game in which Derrick Rose, Kristaps Porzingis,and Carmelo Anthony all scored 20-plus points.
The Knick Of The Night: Derrick Rose
As Ron Baker substituted for Rose, New York fans gave Rose a standing ovation for his outstanding performance on Monday. Rose scored 27 points on 70 percent shooting while adding seven assists. In March, Rose is averaging 19.2 Points, 49 percent shooting and four assists. Rose is in the final year of his contract; this will be the first time Rose test the free agent.
Key Stats: Offensive shooting percentage and Opponent defensive shooting percentage.
New York Knicks shot 53 percent as a team and Detroit shot 42 percent as a team.
.@drose scores 27 as #Knicks cruise past Pistons. @MajorEnergy Postgame Report ? #NYKvsDET
[? https://t.co/KRENU1XACf] pic.twitter.com/4xfY1EbkID— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 28, 2017
?#Knicks lead 79-62! #NYKvsDET pic.twitter.com/DZTghQUEzS
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 28, 2017
#Knicks lead at the half! #NYKvsDET@carmeloanthony: 19p (8-12 FG)@kporzee: 19p pic.twitter.com/veuFy34mBi
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 28, 2017
End of 1Q here @TheGarden!
NYK: 66.7% FG@kporzee: 15p@willyhg94: 7p#NYKvsDET pic.twitter.com/DmJgyTObs8
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 28, 2017
If fans are wondering, Melo told Mike Vorkunov of New York Times, the Knicks won because they were happy they were back home and for morale. As far as the other half of the fanbase is concerned, those who want to see the tank, Melo had this to say:
“They could come play.”
According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, Joakim Noah was re-evaluated on Monday to determine if he was cleared for practice. Noah was recently caught for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
He is now serving a 20 game suspension, and Jeff Hornacek wanted Noah to be cleared by the doctors so he can start serving his suspension this season. Noah would have to go thru a full practice with no complications. New York is hoping that Noah can be cleared before Wednesday’s game against the Miami Heat.
According to Steve Popper of The Record, before Monday’s game, Hornacek spoke about Willy Hernangomez defense. Hornacek still thinks that Hernangomez needs work on his defense. The rookie has a good offensive game, and his potential is Marc Gasol, but his defense will keep him out of being a good everyday center.
Hornacek ranted about how bad the defense been this season. He told Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News about the defensive woes.
“We’ve obviously got to get tougher, we’ve got to get more physical, we’ve got to fight over screens, our bigs are going to have to help the guards, guards are going to have to help the bigs. Defensively, we’ve got a lot of work,” Hornacek said. “We’ve got to try to figure out what’s going to be best for us. The personnel, we were trying to mix things up a little bit, see if we can find something that worked. We never really found anything. But going into next year we need to really stay with one way and keep practicing until we get it right.”
ESNY’s Matthew Castillo talked about the need for Willy Hernangomez to improve on defense.