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Hamilton seeks to lead Pistons to eighth straight win

Dec 1, 2006 - 1:56 PM New York (6-11) at Detroit (10-5) 8:00 pm EST

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) - Richard Hamilton has helped make the Detroit Pistons' 3-5 start a fading memory.

Hamilton and the Pistons attempt to win their eighth consecutive contest Friday when they host the struggling New York Knicks.

Averaging 22.1 points, Hamilton made 9-of-17 shots and scored 24 for his ninth 20-point outing of the campaign as Detroit won its third straight road contest with Thursday's 87-85 victory over the Miami Heat.

Tayshaun Prince scored 12 points, Chauncey Billups added 11 and Flip Murray 10 off the bench for the Pistons in their first meeting against Miami since losing in last spring's Eastern Conference final.

Isiah Thomas will coach the Knicks in Detroit for the first time since taking over for Larry Brown in the offseason. The Hall of Famer led the Pistons to back-to-back championships in 1989-90.

Quentin Richardson made 10-of-15 shots and scored 27 points and Eddy Curry had 24 for New York, which snapped a two-game slide with Wednesday's 101-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks may find themselves a little more comfortable here than at Madison Square Garden, where they have dropped six of seven. New York has split its 10 road contests.

Detroit won three of the four encounters against New York last season, including a 103-97 victory April 16.