Tobias Harris scored 25 points and Marcus Morris added 22 to lift the Detroit Pistons to a 102-89 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
The Pistons have won three in a row — all by double digits — since dropping their season opener. They closed out this game with an impressive defensive stretch, holding New York to 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points for the Knicks, and Derrick Rose added 19.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 19 points for Detroit, and Andre Drummond had nine points and 13 rebounds.
It's been an encouraging start for Detroit, which has been playing without injured point guard Reggie Jackson. The Pistons shot 55 percent from the field in a smoothly played first half, and Detroit was up 64-55 after two quarters.
The offenses bogged down in the second half, and the Knicks had chances to close the gap in the fourth quarter. Down 94-89, New York's Lance Thomas missed from the perimeter. Morris made two free throws at the other end with 3:22 remaining, and Detroit didn't allow a point the rest of the way.
A 3-pointer by Caldwell-Pope put the Pistons up by 10, and Harris added a three-point play with 1:11 remaining.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Joakim Noah had only two points, but he contributed eight assists and 11 rebounds.
Pistons: Detroit outscored the Knicks 50-32 in the paint. ... Harris had 10 rebounds. ... Ish Smith, starting in place of Jackson (knee), had 10 points and eight assists.
STICKY FINGERS
The Knicks had only three turnovers in the first half, and the Pistons had only two. That was a big reason the game was so high-scoring early.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Houston on Wednesday night.
Pistons: Detroit heads to New York as well. The Pistons face Brooklyn on Wednesday night.
