The Detroit Pistons delivered a statement victory in the opener of a six-game homestand and the Eastern Conference leaders look to continue their Central Division dominance when they host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Detroit and New York came into Monday’s contest as the top two teams in the conference. It was no contest, as the Pistons blew out the Knicks, 121-90.
“It’s pretty simple, they just physically kicked our (butt). There are no ifs, ands or buts about it,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “We had 20 turnovers for 33 points. They were into us the whole game.”
New York only scored 36 second-half points as the Pistons, who rank second in the league in defensive field goal percentage, wouldn’t allow their opponent to get into an offensive rhythm. Cade Cunningham and the team’s reserves took care of business at the offensive end.
Cunningham racked up 29 points and 13 assists in 29 minutes, while a trio of reserves scored in double digits.
“When we defend that way, it makes our offense easy,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We get to play in transition, play on a broken floor, and play with tempo. We’ll get what we’re looking for offensively. But I couldn’t be more proud of the guys, and it was everybody. Everybody that played had the right mentality, had the right mindset, understood that this was going to be one of our identity games.”
The Pistons were without starters Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris as well as key reserve Caris LeVert because of injuries. That didn’t matter as they continued to get production from everyone on the roster.
“We want to be great. In order to do that, we have to be consistent,” Bickerstaff said. “So, if you’re playing the emotional game and the emotional rollercoaster, you can’t find consistency. I think that’s what our guys have found is consistency in their system and in their identity, and that gives you the opportunity to execute at a high level. You come up with results like this.”
The Bulls, as they have been for several years, are stuck in mediocrity. They fell two games under .500 with a 115-101 loss to Boston on Monday. Chicago has lost four of its last six games.
“I think a lot of that stuff, to me, is just concentration and focus, just being in the moment,” coach Billy Donovan said.
Guard Coby White, who missed the previous three games due to a calf injury, returned to action but struggled. He was held to five points and three assists while committing four turnovers.
“It’s pretty tough being in and out of the lineup, knowing you can only play a certain amount of minutes throughout the entire night,” White said. “It gets tough when you’re out there and you look up, ‘Damn, I only got like two minutes left and I know I’m coming out.'”
The Pistons and Bulls have split the first two games of their season series. The Bulls captured a 115-111 opening-night victory. The Pistons avenged that loss with a 124-113 win on Nov. 12. They’ll play once more in Chicago on Feb. 21.
