The New York Knicks nearly overcame adversity as Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter combined for 51 points. The Knicks lose 104-101 as their struggles on the road continue.
- New York Knicks 101 (17-15)
- Detroit Pistons 104 (18-14)
- NBA, Final, Box Score
- Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
The Knicks had their chances late and even held a lead with less than a minute left to play, but they couldn’t hold on. An ill-advised shot from Kristaps Porzingis with a two-point lead opened the door for Detroit to tie up the game. Seconds later, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek substituted Ron Baker for offense in a tie game and Baker turned the ball over. As the clock approached zero, Courtney Lee struggled to find an open look and hurriedly threw the ball to KP and all he could do was hoist a halfcourt airball as the buzzer sounded.
The Knicks had their chances to win tonight and silence some of their critics. They have been monumentally bad on the road this season and they are currently 0-4 this season in games on the road after playing a game the night before. They looked like they might have enough to overcome the Pistons after closing out the third quarter on an 18-6 run and took a lead heading into the 4th.
Unlike Thursday night’s game against Boston, the Knicks were led by the first unit tonight. Kristaps Porzingis started off the game cold and it looked like he may be turning in a similar performance to what fans saw Thursday night against the Celtics. Despite the slow start, KP didn’t lose confidence in himself and he came up huge down the stretch. Porzingis finished the game with 29 points and 9 rebounds.
While Porzingis led the way late, Enes Kanter was the foundation for tonight’s victory. Kanter finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds, his 14th double-double this season. Detroit’s Andre Drummond is seen as one of the better centers in the NBA and Kanter went toe-to-toe with him tonight. Drummond would finish with 18 points and 15 rebounds but was a non-factor in the first half as he found himself in foul trouble.
There is a lot of talk amongst Knicks fans about this team’s chance to make the playoffs. They aren’t going anywhere if they can’t win games on the road. New York is an abysmal 2-10 on the road this season. Yes, they have been exceptional at home, but good teams take care of business at home and on the road. The Knicks are clearly not there yet.
And-1.
Road team on a 9-4 run. pic.twitter.com/wzKcA54hOH
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 23, 2017
.@Kyle_OQuinn ➡️ @Michael8easley pic.twitter.com/EBFOWvrhfY
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 23, 2017
We own a four-point lead with 1:48 to go.
Watch on https://t.co/kwkwhs6lzy pic.twitter.com/fzMy5RWhYF
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 23, 2017
