Game thread: New York Knicks vs Detroit Pistons 5:00 3/31/2018 [Game #77]

Heading to New York for a two-day, two-game trip, the Detroit Pistons are about to get one big bite of the Big Apple.

Blake Griffin will not be available for the game against the swooning New York Knicks, whom the Pistons play on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, or for the contest against Brooklyn Nets, whom the Pistons play a day later.

What remains to be seen, with just seven games left and the Pistons five games outside of the eighth and final playoff spot in the NBA's Eastern Conference, is whether Detroit has enough time to make a major move. Whether the Pistons have enough talent with Griffin sidelined is another question.

Griffin, who missed Detroit's 103-92 win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday with an ankle contusion, was ruled out for the game and will be re-evaluated next week.

Without Griffin on Thursday, Andre Drummond picked up the slack for the Pistons against the Wizards, scoring 24 points and grabbing 23 rebounds, as the team won its third straight game.

"He was really, really good tonight," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said of Drummond after the game. "Even besides the numbers, 23 (points) and 24 (rebounds), which is pretty incredible. I thought he was really active defensively, I thought he was active offensively. One of his best games of the year, he was really, really good."

Detroit last squared off against the Knicks on Dec. 22, picking up a 104-101 win despite 29 points by Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis has been lost for the season since then, so this matchup will look completely different.

The Pistons last met the Nets on Feb. 7, a little over a week after Griffin was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Detroit scored a 115-106 win that day -- its fifth straight after trading for the star power forward -- as Griffin had 25 points and seven assists. The post-trade magic wore off, however, and the Pistons lost 13 of their next 16 games.

They have since won five of six to right the ship, though it may be too little, too late.

"Washington has been a tough team for us to get over the hump on, and I'm happy to get a win and stay in the hunt," Detroit guard Reggie Jackson said after the game. "Really, we want to just keep building chemistry and gel."

The Knicks, meanwhile, are in full-fledged evaluation mode, and that includes head coach Jeff Hornacek, who has been the subject of rumors about his future lately.

"Everybody wants to win," Hornacek said earlier this month. "But in the NBA, it's not easy to win. We got to a good start with those guys and then the (Porzingis) injury, were we deep enough with top guys to overcome that? Obviously we weren't able to. But that doesn't mean that we haven't improved. Guys are getting better, trying to improve their competitiveness."

While Detroit has the quick turnaround just over the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday, the Knicks wait until Tuesday to host the visiting Orlando Magic.

(STATS / cbssports.com)

Odd start time for a game. Just saw the game thread and tuned in, thanks Rady. Go Loyola Chi and the Knicks.

Trey Troy THJ Beas Quinn starting. Lot of guys not available tonight.

Kanter out back. Nits out sick. CLee out foot.

Most exciting thing this game is that guy that made all his shots in that Shoot for Adventure timeout game. Guy had a sweet shot and won a vacation somewhere.

Long interview with Ron Baker, Clyde and Kenny talking to him instead of doing the game. Just had a bday and turned 25, another guy you have to look at as to how long it'll take Nits or Mudiay to develop. His Witchita backcourt mate Vanvleet is another 25 yr old that we hope Mudiay and Nits turn into.

Drum has gotten his FT% up to 61% after being the worst FT shooter in the NBA. He's improved his shooting by adopting an unorthodox shot that works for him but coaches would be trying to change if it wasn't falling for a player.

DET up 56-54 at the half. Close game with 6 lead changes. DET looks resigned they're not making the playoffs being 5 back with only 7 games left so the the boys could win this one with a lackluster effort by the Pistons.

Bulls and Nets have 51 L. Knicks have 50...

Nets playing today... Bulls have 6 left... NYK with 5 to go...

Good news: Nets and Bulls play a home/away back-2-backer...

So, if we lose out... we could end in a 3-way tie for 7th... or even grab 7th altogether. 7th vs 9th might mean nothing or it might mean everything. Always better to be higher tho (unless 9th slot wins lotto, of course).

Another win for tank team. I guess I might as well join the ?race to the bottom.? But here?s the problem: our front office and their lack of eye for talent. Last year we missed on Dennis Smith Jr and probable rookie of the year Donanvan Mitchell who both went after we drafted Frank. So draft position doesn?t matter if you have no eye for talent. I know Broadway will lecture me again about leverage to which I say whatever. We completely whiffed on Donovan Mitchell, a franchise changing player, who went 5 spots after Frank. Hopefully our ?new? front office can do better this year wherever our pick ends up.

jimkcchief88 said:

Another win for tank team. I guess I might as well join the “race to the bottom.” But here’s the problem: our front office and their lack of eye for talent. Last year we missed on Dennis Smith Jr and probable rookie of the year Donanvan Mitchell who both went after we drafted Frank. So draft position doesn’t matter if you have no eye for talent. I know Broadway will lecture me again about leverage to which I say whatever. We completely whiffed on Donovan Mitchell, a franchise changing player, who went 5 spots after Frank. Hopefully our “new” front office can do better this year wherever our pick ends up.

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Maybe we missed on some guys in the draft, but that not because we don't have an eye (although maybe we don't if you see our draft choices in the last 10 years), we missed on them because everybody missed on them, if they were drafted 5 spots after Nits, that means a lot of teams didn't want to draft Mitchell, so i guess there is always this draft pick who is being drafted late then turn out to be the surprise for everybody.... you can't control that

jimkcchief88 said:

Another win for tank team. I guess I might as well join the ?race to the bottom.? But here?s the problem: our front office and their lack of eye for talent. Last year we missed on Dennis Smith Jr and probable rookie of the year Donanvan Mitchell who both went after we drafted Frank. So draft position doesn?t matter if you have no eye for talent. I know Broadway will lecture me again about leverage to which I say whatever. We completely whiffed on Donovan Mitchell, a franchise changing player, who went 5 spots after Frank. Hopefully our ?new? front office can do better this year wherever our pick ends up.

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Wow Chief .... where's the optimism? You don't have any hope in Perry changing the Knicks to be a .500 team next season?
Or do u believe the Dolan's knicks are jinx to be losers?
I understood Jax selection of Frank Knits over DSJ n Mitchell last year .. we were still locked into iso-Melo contract plus undecided on resigning iso-Rose.
This Knicks offseason will be bout judging Perry's every move from draft/trade/signing/ to hiring a new coacing-staff.
The Knicks 2018 draft picks decision-maker will be our new GM Perry !!!

Kiyaman said:

Wow Chief .... where's the optimism? You don't have any hope in Perry changing the Knicks to be a .500 team next season?
Or do u believe the Dolan's knicks are jinx to be losers?
I understood Jax selection of Frank Knits over DSJ n Mitchell last year .. we were still locked into iso-Melo contract plus undecided on resigning iso-Rose.
This Knicks offseason will be bout judging Perry's every move from draft/trade/signing/ to hiring a new coacing-staff.
The Knicks 2018 draft picks decision-maker will be our new GM Perry !!!

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My optimism is gone about this franchise. It?s the richest franchise in the NBA in this morobound state so why make any changes? Perry came from where Orlando? Hmmm...I don?t ever understand taking Euro- project players over our (African)- American born players. Well Pjax certainly got the African part right with Frank

The Dragon said:

Maybe we missed on some guys in the draft, but that not because we don't have an eye (although maybe we don't if you see our draft choices in the last 10 years), we missed on them because everybody missed on them, if they were drafted 5 spots after Nits, that means a lot of teams didn't want to draft Mitchell, so i guess there is always this draft pick who is being drafted late then turn out to be the surprise for everybody.... you can't control that

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Well Utah controlled that and drafted DM...while we reached on Frank...one team had an eye for talent, the went overseas to overdraft a project. The end.

The Dragon said:

Maybe we missed on some guys in the draft, but that not because we don't have an eye (although maybe we don't if you see our draft choices in the last 10 years), we missed on them because everybody missed on them, if they were drafted 5 spots after Nits, that means a lot of teams didn't want to draft Mitchell, so i guess there is always this draft pick who is being drafted late then turn out to be the surprise for everybody.... you can't control that

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What hurts is that DM is a hometown kid from Elmsford which is right in the Knicks backyard and they had the kid in for multiple workouts. If it was me and I was to draft someone so young, first thing I'm looking for is exceptional athletic ability, burst and an advanced ability to knock down shots. Nits has none of that, he doesn't leave his feet on a block and he sticks to his man are the qualities I see, coaches can teach those fundamentals to anyone the speed and athleticism are God given. Only thing Frank has that is God given is those long arms and he's tall for a PG but average height for a 2. Definitely wouldn't draft him at 8, thought he should have gone 16-25 and should have been stashed overseas by the team that drafted him.

tiger0330 said:

What hurts is that DM is a hometown kid from Elmsford which is right in the Knicks backyard and they had the kid in for multiple workouts. If it was me and I was to draft someone so young, first thing I'm looking for is exceptional athletic ability, burst and an advanced ability to knock down shots. Nits has none of that, he doesn't leave his feet on a block and he sticks to his man are the qualities I see, coaches can teach those fundamentals to anyone the speed and athleticism are God given. Only thing Frank has that is God given is those long arms and he's tall for a PG but average height for a 2. Definitely wouldn't draft him at 8, thought he should have gone 16-25 and should have been stashed overseas by the team that drafted him.

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how do we end up drafting these people in general, I like Nits, i feel he will turn to something special once he lose the look of a lost boy in the woods, and be more aggressive. but my question is, how an organization like the Knicks, which is maybe the richest sports organization in the world or close, can't spend the time and effort to draft the correct people? is it that hard? i mean you can miss couple of times, but you can't keep on drafting the wrong people...... I think this is one of the most important factors of our failures in the last million years ..

The Dragon said:

how do we end up drafting these people in general, I like Nits, i feel he will turn to something special once he lose the look of a lost boy in the woods, and be more aggressive. but my question is, how an organization like the Knicks, which is maybe the richest sports organization in the world or close, can't spend the time and effort to draft the correct people? is it that hard? i mean you can miss couple of times, but you can't keep on drafting the wrong people...... I think this is one of the most important factors of our failures in the last million years ..

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Out lottery misses have been absolutely wretched to mediocre at best

Nene...(traded although Amar'e was there)
Sweetney...(Diaw was there)
Frye...(Granger was there)
Gallinari...(Jordan was there)
Hill...(Derozan was there)
Porzingis...(we hit but Booker was there)
Knits...(DSJ, Mitchell, Kuzma)