The injury-plagued New York Knicks are facing two very different teams in the first two games of their homestand.
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The injury-plagued New York Knicks are facing two very different teams in the first two games of their homestand. After losing to the league-leading Boston Celtics for the fourth time this season on Saturday, the Knicks will host the Detroit Pistons, who have the worst record in the league with only eight wins, on Monday night.
The Knicks have lost six of their last eight games, but it’s been a while since the Pistons have beaten them. The Knicks have won the last 13 meetings with Detroit, including a 118-112 victory on Nov. 30. The Pistons’ last win over the Knicks was on Nov. 6, 2019.
With starters Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and OG Anunoby still out with injuries, the Knicks lost to the Celtics 116-102 in the first game of a four-game homestand.
As usual, Jalen Brunson led the scoring, racking up 34 points and nine assists, but the Knicks couldn’t keep up with Boston’s offense. The Celtics shot 56.8 percent from the field and only had seven turnovers. Boston took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Knicks 35-26.
For the Knicks, Anunoby (elbow injury), Randle (shoulder injury), and Robinson (ankle injury) will not be playing the game. Besides, Washington could also miss the game due to a finger injury. As for the Pistons, only Sasser will be unavailable due to an injury.
The game on Monday will have an interesting side story. Knicks bench players Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks will be playing against the Pistons for the first time since they were traded to New York earlier this month. Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier were sent to Detroit in that trade.
Grimes played his first game for the Pistons on Saturday night after coming back from a knee injury. He scored five points, had four assists, two steals, and a block in 26 minutes during a 112-109 loss to Orlando.
The Magic’s Paolo Banchero scored a three-point play with 0.8 seconds left, leading to Detroit’s fifth straight loss. Pistons center Isaiah Stewart will sit out the final game of his three-game league suspension on Monday. Stewart was punished for punching the Phoenix Suns’ Drew Eubanks during a pregame scuffle before the All-Star break.
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