• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Stuckey helps Pistons down Knicks

Nov 20, 2013 - 5:00 AM Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Rodney Stuckey helped the Pistons pull away from the Knicks in the second half, scoring 15 of his 21 points after the break as Detroit earned a 92-86 victory in a battle of struggling clubs.

Both teams came in with disappointing 3-6 records, and it stayed close before Stuckey sparked the Pistons to just their second win in the past seven games.

Josh Smith donated 19 points while Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond each posted double-doubles in the victory, Detroit's first in its last eight meetings against the Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony paced the Knicks once again with a 25-point effort but shot a pedestrian 8-of-20 from the floor and committed seven turnovers.

"We have to figure it out quick," Anthony said of the team's slow start. "It's hard to take anything positive out of the way we've been playing."

J.R. Smith put in 18 points off the bench in New York's third straight loss.

The Knicks trailed by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter but pulled within five down the stretch after two Anthony free throws made it an 87-82 game with under two minutes on the clock.

Anthony had a chance to make it a one-possession game the next time down and missed a 3-point try, and Stuckey drew two defenders on a drive into the lane before dishing to Josh Smith for an easy layup with 1:04 remaining.

The Pistons made enough free throws down the stretch to close out the win.

There were 11 ties and six lead changes in an evenly-matched first half that saw neither team lead by more than six.

It was 43-43 at the break and remained tight until the Pistons began pulling away late in the third quarter. Josh Smith and Kyle Singler both hit from behind the arc during a 7-0 run that pushed Detroit's lead to 62-54, and Stuckey scored seven points in the final 1:55 to send the hosts into the fourth with a 71-63 lead.

Stuckey continued with the hot hand to open the fourth, scoring five straight points before feeding Drummond for a dunk and a 78-63 Pistons cushion with less than 10 minutes to play.

"I just tried to get myself going and get my teammates going as well." Stuckey said.

Game Notes

The Knicks were using their fifth different starting lineup this season. Beno Udrih started in place of injured point guard Raymond Felton (hip) and went scoreless in 18-plus minutes ... Monroe finished with 16 points, Drummond added 13 and both grabbed 11 rebounds ... The Knicks had just two fastbreak points.