Knicks move above .500 in big win over Pistons

Julius Randle had another big night with 25 points, 8 boards and 6 assists in New York’s 109-90 victory in Detroit on Sunday night.

Thus, the Knicks moved above .500, joining the Sixers, Bucks and Nets as the only Eastern conference teams to hold a positive record.

The last time the Knicks were over .500 this far into the season was during the 2012/13 run that also ended up with the final playoff appearance. Now, at 18-17, Knicks are fourth place in the East and have won 7 of their last 9 games.

“The reaction to the winning record, honestly in our locker room it’s expected. I said all year, we feel like every time we go out we have a chance to win the game. I’m not really surprised where we’re at as a team. We have a certain level of focus on a night-to-night basis that gives us a shot every night”

– Julius Randle

Their opponents from last night weren’t a top team as the Pistons are currently at the bottom of the standings. At halftime the Knicks were already up by 11 and the Pistons had never threatened to make a comeback during the second half.

RJ Barrett had 21 points and Derrick Rose dropped 14  against his former team.

Alec Burs led the bench with 16 and Immanuel Quickley scored 12 buckets. Nerlens Noel had another 40 minutes game, putting up a great effort on the defensive side and finished with 8 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks and 2 assists.

The Pistons were led by Jerami Grant with 21 points and former Knick, Wayne Ellington who scored 15 off the bench. The most recent former Knick, Dennis Smith Jr, who had found a starting role in Detroit scored just 7 in 27 minutes.

Up-next: The Knicks (18-17) are traveling to San Antonio to take on the Spurs (17-12) on Tuesday from 8:30 pm.