• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Knicks host Pistons in MSG matinee

Nov 25, 2012 - 3:39 PM (Sports Network) - On paper, it looks like a lopsided matchup as one of the league's best meets one of the league's worst when the New York Knicks host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon.

The Knicks are in the middle of their first losing streak of the season. They dropped two in a row in Texas -- a 114-111 loss at Dallas and a 131-103 drubbing in Houston to the Rockets.

"It was unacceptable, definitely unacceptable, definitely embarrassing to lose like that," said Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. "But, the good thing is we feel like we are a good team, we'll bounce back. There's some things we have to get back to the drawing board on defensively and we'll be fine."

They weren't fine on Friday night.

The 131-point outburst was a season-high point total allowed by the Knicks. The Rockets, led by the 51 combined from Chandler Parsons and James Harden, scored 72 in the first half.

Jeremy Lin created "Linsanity" last season in New York, but on Friday, he only managed 13 points and seven rebounds. Parsons and Harden finished with 31 and 33, respectively and the Knicks, ranked in the top five in opponents' scoring earlier in the week, fell to 11th.

"Tonight they beat us in every way you can beat a team," said head coach Mike Woodson. "I know throughout the course of the year, a season, you have games like this, but it's not acceptable. We just weren't ready to play, and that's on me."

Anthony put up a game-high 37, but only two other Knicks managed double- figures.

The Pistons picked up their third win of the season and third in their last five games Friday at home against Toronto. Detroit, 1-7 on the road this season, pulled out a 91-90 home victory against the Raptors.

Brandon Knight used a pick from Greg Monroe to slide into the lane and scored the go-ahead layup with seven seconds remaining on the clock. Kyle Lowry had a decent look for the win, but his final attempt bounced off the back of the rim and out of bounds.

Friday also marked the first double-double in the career of Andre Drummond, the ninth pick in the NBA Draft. He scored 13 points and grabbed 13 boards in just over 24 minutes of action.

"I saw a lot from him," Tayshaun Prince said of Drummond, who had eight offensive rebounds Friday. "The most important thing is when he made mistakes and missed free throws he just stayed with the course, put his head down. Obviously it was tough to keep him off the offensive glass and had key blocked shots, but I think his energy kept the crowd in the game and that's what we needed."

The Knicks swept last season's three-game series and are 8-2 in the last 10 against the Pistons. Detroit hasn't won in New York since April 8, 2009, dropping its last five visits to Madison Square Garden.