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Pistons drub Knicks in finale

Apr 16, 2015 - 6:58 AM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Reggie Jackson registered a double-double with 24 points and a game-high 11 assists as the Detroit Pistons crushed the New York Knicks 112-90 in the regular-season finale for both squads at Madison Square Garden.

Jackson, who added four rebounds and three steals, was one of seven players in double figures for the Pistons (32-50) as they won for the second time in their last three outings. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Drummond both dropped in 17 points, the latter adding a team-best 12 rebounds. Caron Butler tacked on 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting behind the 3-point line.

"To grow from 5-23 to this is a remarkable improvement and is due to the character of the guys in our locker room," Detroit head coach Stan Van Gundy said.

Greg Monroe, Anthony Tolliver and Jodie Meeks each tallied 10 points for the visitors.

The Knicks (17-65) were led by Cole Aldrich's 24 points and a game-high 15 boards, while Tim Hardaway Jr. produced a game-high 25 points as he converted 5-of-8 beyond the arc.

With the loss, the Knicks finished with the second-worst record in the NBA for the season, ahead of only the Minnesota Timberwolves, who registered a 16-66 mark after being pummeled by Oklahoma City at home on Wednesday night.

"These guys will always be my first team," New York head coach Derek Fisher said. "Any success that we have as an organization or me as a coach will still start from here."

New York has a 19.9 percent chance of winning the NBA Draft Lottery.

Hardaway scored 14 of his points in the first quarter, connecting on 4-of-5 shots beyond the arc, but was the only Knicks player to convert more than a pair of field goals in the frame as Detroit moved out to a 34-25 lead entering the second.

The lead reached as high as 15 in the first half for the Pistons, even as they shot just 3-of-11 on the perimeter through the opening 24 minutes. The Knicks trailed by nine, 55-46, at the break after fumbling the ball away 15 times.

New York opened the second half on a 15-8 run to cut the lead to 63-61, but Detroit was ahead by double figures once more by the end of the third period and never looked back.

Game Notes

New York suffered 21 turnovers, resulting in 34 points for the Pistons...Detroit, which never trailed, led by as many as 29 in the fourth quarter ...The Pistons won three of four meetings against the Knicks this season, including both decisions at MSG.