Date: March 18, 2011
7:30 PM ET
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
TV: MSG
<table class="season-leaders" cellspacing="4"><thead><tr class="periods"><th> </th> <th style="text-align: left;">Points</th> <th style="text-align: left;">Rebounds</th> <th style="text-align: left;">Assists</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr><td class="team">NY</td><td style="text-align: left;">Stoudemire 26.2</td><td style="text-align: left;">Stoudemire 8.3</td><td style="text-align: left;">Billups 5.9</td></tr><tr><td class="team">DET</td><td style="text-align: left;">Stuckey 14.8</td><td style="text-align: left;">Monroe 7.1</td><td style="text-align: left;">Stuckey 4.8</td></tr></tbody></table>
Gameday Matchup
<table class="mod-data"><thead><tr class="team-color-strip"><th> </th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 94, 168); text-align: right; line-height: 25px;" width="30%">New York
</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(250, 0, 44); text-align: right; line-height: 25px;" width="30%">Detroit
</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="odd"><td style="text-align: left;">W-L</td><td style="text-align: right;">35-32</td><td style="text-align: right;">24-44</td></tr><tr class="even"><td style="text-align: left;">Avg Points</td><td style="text-align: right;">106.8</td><td style="text-align: right;">96.1</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td style="text-align: left;">Avg Points Allowed</td><td style="text-align: right;">105.9</td><td style="text-align: right;">100.3</td></tr><tr class="even"><td style="text-align: left;">Home Record</td><td style="text-align: right;">19-14</td><td style="text-align: right;">17-17</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td style="text-align: left;">Road Record</td><td style="text-align: right;">16-18</td><td style="text-align: right;">7-27</td></tr><tr class="even"><td style="text-align: left;">Current Streak</td><td style="text-align: right;">W1</td><td style="text-align: right;">W1</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td style="text-align: left;">Last 10</td><td style="text-align: right;">5-5</td><td style="text-align: right;">3-7</td></tr></tbody></table>
Starting Lineup
<table class="mod-data"><thead><tr class="team-color-strip"><th style="line-height: 25px; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 94, 168); text-align: left;">New York (PPG)</th><th style="line-height: 25px; border-bottom-color: rgb(250, 0, 44); text-align: left;">Detroit (PPG)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="odd" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">G L. Fields 10.2</td> <td style="text-align: left;">SF A. Daye 7.6</td> </tr> <tr class="even" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">PG C. Billups 16.8</td> <td style="text-align: left;">SG T. McGrady 8.5</td> </tr> <tr class="odd" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">SF C. Anthony 25.3</td> <td style="text-align: left;">SF T. Prince 14.3</td> </tr> <tr class="even" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">PF J. Jeffries 1.5</td> <td style="text-align: left;">PF G. Monroe 8.8</td> </tr> <tr class="odd" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">PF A. Stoudemire 26.2</td> <td style="text-align: left;">C B. Wallace 2.9</td></tr></tbody></table>
7:30 PM ET
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
TV: MSG
<table class="season-leaders" cellspacing="4"><thead><tr class="periods"><th> </th> <th style="text-align: left;">Points</th> <th style="text-align: left;">Rebounds</th> <th style="text-align: left;">Assists</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr><td class="team">NY</td><td style="text-align: left;">Stoudemire 26.2</td><td style="text-align: left;">Stoudemire 8.3</td><td style="text-align: left;">Billups 5.9</td></tr><tr><td class="team">DET</td><td style="text-align: left;">Stuckey 14.8</td><td style="text-align: left;">Monroe 7.1</td><td style="text-align: left;">Stuckey 4.8</td></tr></tbody></table>
Gameday Matchup
<table class="mod-data"><thead><tr class="team-color-strip"><th> </th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 94, 168); text-align: right; line-height: 25px;" width="30%">New York
</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(250, 0, 44); text-align: right; line-height: 25px;" width="30%">Detroit
</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="odd"><td style="text-align: left;">W-L</td><td style="text-align: right;">35-32</td><td style="text-align: right;">24-44</td></tr><tr class="even"><td style="text-align: left;">Avg Points</td><td style="text-align: right;">106.8</td><td style="text-align: right;">96.1</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td style="text-align: left;">Avg Points Allowed</td><td style="text-align: right;">105.9</td><td style="text-align: right;">100.3</td></tr><tr class="even"><td style="text-align: left;">Home Record</td><td style="text-align: right;">19-14</td><td style="text-align: right;">17-17</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td style="text-align: left;">Road Record</td><td style="text-align: right;">16-18</td><td style="text-align: right;">7-27</td></tr><tr class="even"><td style="text-align: left;">Current Streak</td><td style="text-align: right;">W1</td><td style="text-align: right;">W1</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td style="text-align: left;">Last 10</td><td style="text-align: right;">5-5</td><td style="text-align: right;">3-7</td></tr></tbody></table>
Starting Lineup
<table class="mod-data"><thead><tr class="team-color-strip"><th style="line-height: 25px; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 94, 168); text-align: left;">New York (PPG)</th><th style="line-height: 25px; border-bottom-color: rgb(250, 0, 44); text-align: left;">Detroit (PPG)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="odd" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">G L. Fields 10.2</td> <td style="text-align: left;">SF A. Daye 7.6</td> </tr> <tr class="even" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">PG C. Billups 16.8</td> <td style="text-align: left;">SG T. McGrady 8.5</td> </tr> <tr class="odd" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">SF C. Anthony 25.3</td> <td style="text-align: left;">SF T. Prince 14.3</td> </tr> <tr class="even" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">PF J. Jeffries 1.5</td> <td style="text-align: left;">PF G. Monroe 8.8</td> </tr> <tr class="odd" align="right" valign="top"><td style="text-align: left;">PF A. Stoudemire 26.2</td> <td style="text-align: left;">C B. Wallace 2.9</td></tr></tbody></table>
The New York Knicks have a plan to end their long playoff drought, but they'd like any lingering concerns to vanish.
Another dominant performance and a meeting with the struggling Detroit Pistons may be just what they need.
The Knicks look to build on a record-setting shooting performance by extending their winning streak over the Pistons on Friday night.
New York (35-32) is sixth in the Eastern Conference, seven games ahead of ninth-place Charlotte with 15 games remaining.
Ending a seven-year playoff drought is the immediate concern for the Knicks, who have had to deal with enormous hype since acquiring Carmelo Anthony in a blockbuster deal last month.
Anthony is averaging 26.0 points in 13 games with New York, but the team is just 7-6 and fans have grown frustrated as four losses have come against teams with losing records. Those worries even caused coach Mike D'Antoni to joke that fans should "take some Prozac or something."
"The biggest thing, and I'll just keep repeating," he said, "is that we're not going to get caught up in the hysteria and we're going to be who we are, we're going to play as well as we can and get it together and hang in as a group and try to make the playoffs and then try to do as good as we can."
More performances like Thursday's 120-99 victory over Memphis would be welcome after New York had dropped three in a row while giving up an average of 117.3 points. The Knicks set a franchise record by hitting 20 3-pointers, and Toney Douglas had 29 points including nine 3s to share the club's single-game record with Latrell Sprewell and John Starks.
Douglas is averaging 10.0 points this season, but 16.7 over the last nine games while connecting on 31 of 61 from beyond the arc.
The Knicks have won four in a row against the Pistons, including both meetings this season after a 124-106 victory Jan. 30.
Meanwhile, the Pistons have dropped 12 of 17 since last winning consecutive games on Feb. 4 and 5. They snapped a three-game skid after beating Toronto 107-93 on Wednesday.
Coach John Kuester sees promise after finally being able to start his ideal lineup for the first time this season after injuries, a benching and other internal strife prevented that from happening. Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Tracy McGrady plus rookie Greg Monroe combined for 80 points against the Raptors, including a season-high 38 in the opening quarter.
The Pistons have used 18 different lineups this season, tying Dallas for the sixth-most in the league.
"I've been waiting for that group to present itself all season, but it hasn't worked out until now," Kuester said. "They did a great job of setting the tone -- that was as good a first quarter as we've played offensively all season."
Hamilton missed Thursday's practice due to the death of his grandfather, and it's not immediately known if he will play Friday, The swingman missed the last contest with New York due to the flu, and he's averaged only 14.3 points over his past four meetings while shooting 28.1 percent from the floor.