Immanuel Quickley scored 20 points off the bench to lead six players in double figures Friday night for the New York Knicks, who were rarely threatened in their home opener, in a 130-106 win over the Detroit Pistons.
The Knicks, who led by as many as 29 points in the third quarter, avoided starting 0-2 for the fourth time in six years. The Pistons were trying to start 2-0 for the first time since 2018-19, when they opened 4-0.
Starters RJ Barrett (18 points), Jalen Brunson (17 points) and Julius Randle (15 points) scored in double digits for the Knicks, as did Quickley’s fellow reserves Obi Toppin (16 points) and Derrick Rose (13 points). Isaiah Hartenstein had a game-high 11 rebounds off the bench.
Saddiq Bey scored 26 points for the Pistons, including 10 during a 23-6 run that cut the Knicks’ lead to 12 points late in the third quarter. Bojan Bogdanovic had 18 points while Jaden Ivey added 17 points and Cade Cunningham finished with 15 points. Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren each flirted with a double-double by finishing with eight points and 10 rebounds apiece.
The Pistons held a trio of small leads in the first quarter before Randle sank a 3-pointer with 5:48 left to give the Knicks a lead it wouldn’t relinquish at 17-14. New York finished the quarter on an 11-2 run, a span in which Detroit missed seven straight shots and four consecutive free throws.
Diallo opened the second with a jumper, but Rose hit a 3-pointer to extend the Knicks’ lead into double digits. Brunson had nine points and Rose scored eight points as New York outscored Detroit 42-32 in the period to take a 72-52 halftime lead.
The Knicks took their biggest lead at 85-56 following a 9-0 run early in the third. The Pistons responded by scoring the next nine points to spark the run that pulled them within 91-79 with 3:01 left.
The Knicks put the game away by mounting an 18-2 run that spanned the final two quarters. Toppin had seven points in the spurt, including a dunk 84 seconds into the fourth that gave New York a 109-81 lead. The Pistons got no closer than 21 points.
–Field Level Media
