Knicks Drop Detroit for Second Straight Road Win
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New York Knicks 116, Detroit Pistons 111  
Mike D’Antoni glanced up at the scoreboard in the beginning of the fourth quarter and saw his team down by 10. It didn’t appear he was pushing the panic button just yet but the big deficit sure wasn’t a good sign for his Knicks, who had won just once in 30 tries after trailing entering the final period.
But Wednesday night in Detroit was a different story as everything went the Knicks’ way down the stretch in a 116-111 overtime win over the Pistons. New York hit the big shots, played swarming defense and didn’t turn the ball over in the second half to notch its second straight victory away from The Garden. The high-scoring backcourt duo of Nate Robinson and Larry Hughes once again led the way with a combined 52 points, while David Lee recorded 16 points and 18 rebounds. Despite the impressive individual efforts, the Knicks were quick to give their head coach credit for the late rally that helped improve their playoff positioning. “Our team played a hell of a game and our coach did a wonderful job coaching, executing and drawing stuff up for us,” said Robinson, who dropped in a game-high 30 points. The Knicks set a franchise record with only three turnovers - none of which came in the second half and overtime - and their defense was perhaps the best we have seen all season. The win places New York only one and a half games out of the East’s eighth and final spot with 18 games remaining. “We all had to collectively come together and get stops,” Lee said. “I think our defense has been about as good as it’s been all year in the second half of the Milwaukee game and now tonight in all four quarters and overtime.” D’Antoni’s toughest coaching decision of the game came during his final timeout with 12 seconds left and his team facing a 101-98 deficit following a pair of Rodney Stuckey free throws. The play had Hughes receiving the inbounds pass above the 3-point arc in a one-on-one matchup against Richard Hamilton. After crossing over to his right and catching the Pistons defender off balance, Hughes was struck from the side as he pulled up for a 3-pointer and went to the line for three shots with 10 second to play. “I didn’t want to hold it until the last second and let them set up their defense,” D’Antoni said. “Larry’s a very smart basketball player, and did a great job.” Hughes calmly drained all three free throws, and the Pistons came up short on their final possession of regulation. “I felt comfortable,” said Hughes, who finished with 22 points. “Shooting three in that situation is what we get paid to do.” The Knicks took their first lead since the second quarter on a Hughes jumper with 3:34 left in the extra period. Quentin Richardson’s only two field goals of the game helped the Knicks hold off the Pistons with over a minute to play. New York will look to continue its momentum and make it three in a row in the middle of its current five-game road trip Friday when they visit Minnesota for the first time this season.
KNICKS KNACKS
Points
30 Rebounds
18 Assists
6 STAT OF THE GAME
Led by Nate Robinson's 11 points at the line, the Knicks converted 37 of 42 free throws for a 88.1-percent clip.
TURNING POINT
The Knicks cut a 12-point deficit to one on several occasions in the fourth quarter before tying the game at 101 with 10 seconds remaining. The overtime session belonged to New York, which took its first lead since the second quarter a minute and half into the period and held on the rest of the way.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Chris Duhon and Jared Jeffries worked the pick-and-roll to perfection with Jeffries finishing strong at the rim with a jam over Jason Maxiell. The highlight came early in the second quarter shortly after Jeffries checked in for the first time since missing the previous three games with a left knee injury.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
“That’s two nights in a row we’ve been able to turn up the screws up a bit, especially in the second half. It was against a really good team.”
Mike D'Antoni
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