The New York Knicks won at home for the first time in almost a month, beating the Detroit Pistons, 105-91, at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. Four players scored in double figures for the struggling Knicks, who finally snapped their five-game losing skid at home.
Evan Fournier led all scorers with 22 points. He shot 9 of 24 from the field, including 4 of 11 from deep. It was Kemba Walker, though, who stole the show in his return to the Knicks' home floor. Walker found himself out of the Knicks' rotation after his struggles earlier this season.
Walker makes strong case to be part of Knicks' rotation again
Head coach Tom Thibodeau decided to bring Walker back into the starting lineup after a COVID-19 outbreak decimated the Knicks' roster. Six Knicks players are currently on the league's health and safety protocols, including Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes, Kevin Knox II and Miles McBride.
Walker impressed in the Knicks' previous game against the Boston Celtics, recording 29 points, six rebounds and three assists in the 114-107 loss. Walker knocked down five three-pointers in that ballgame, giving his fans hope that this was the start of his career resurgence.
Thibodeau rewarded Walker with another start on Tuesday and he duly delivered, scoring 21 points on 8 of 21 shooting from the field. He also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists in 40 minutes of action. Julius Randle was the other Knicks starter to score in double figures, recording 21 points against the Pistons.
Mitchell Robinson had a huge outing while coming off the bench, registering a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Robinson, who shot 8 of 9 from the floor against the Pistons, also had three blocked shots.
The Knicks got off to a strong start in this contest, building a 24-17 lead after the first quarter. They stretched that advantage to 48-37 after two quarters of play. New York came out of the halftime break inspired, with the Knicks uncorking an 11-0 run to start the third to open up a 59-37 lead.
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Knicks prevail in battle of struggling teams
The Pistons made a furious fightback, however, cutting the lead down to five points in the fourth quarter. Knicks fans have seen this story before with New York losing eight times in its past 10 matches. Fournier, Robinson and Walker made sure there won't be a late-game collapse this time around, making timely baskets down the stretch to seal the win for New York.
The Knicks improved to 14-17 with the victory, good for 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons continued to languish at the bottom of the standings, sporting an abysmal 5-25 record. Cade Cunningham had a miserable evening in the Big Apple, missing 11 of his 13 field goal attempts. He was placed on the league's health and safety protocols after the loss to the Knicks.
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