Norman Castro
EBC New York Bureau
NEW YORK (Eagle News) – As the season winds down, the New York Knicks look to close out the season on a winning note. The bench players have played significant minutes over starters as point guard, Trey Burke has been the spark on offense. Against a Blake Griffin-less Detroit Pistons, the Knicks were trying to gain momentum and finish the season strong but fell short, 115-109 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
The defeat was their 50th of the season, marking the fourth straight season that the Knicks have lost at least 50 games, which tied a franchise record. This will be the fifth-straight year that Knicks will miss the playoffs.
“[That] doesn’t sit well at all,” said Burke. “Everybody likes to win, doesn’t like losing. I haven’t been here the whole year but I’ve been here. I’m part of this team. I’m part of that.”
The Knicks led at the half by 56-54 and extended their lead 66-62 early in the third, showcasing great energy on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The Pistons to their credit didn’t get discouraged and continued to attack and kept the game close, retaking the lead 85-81. Lance Hicks off the inbounds hit a last second 3-pointer to cut the Knicks deficit to one heading into the 4th quarter.
The Pistons took command of the game early on in the fourth extending their lead While the Knicks kept bringing the fight led by Beasley’s offense from isolated positions, the Pistons seemed to have an answer everytime down the court, growing their lead to seven with five minutes left and never looked back.
The Pistons shot 52 percent from the field as all five starters scored in double figures led by Andre Drummond’s 22 points.
“We found a way to battle,” said Pistons guard Reggie Jackson. “We found a way to respond and be resilient. We kept fighting [and] we were just happy with the win.”
Knicks coach, Jeff Hornacek explained the outcome of the game and what his team could have done differently to stop the Pistons offense.
“It [was] a game of stretches,” said Hornacek. “The defense intensity dropped right there [in the third quarter] and they made a couple of shots. But then it was making adjustments that happened a couple of times late in the game. The guys [had] intentions to help but it wasn’t the right time and they got kick out threes.”
Beasley led the Knicks with 32 points. Burke had 18 points and a career-high 15 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. also added 18 points.
“Trey Burke did a great job at point guard position,” Hornacek added. “He didn’t try to force anything, was making plays, and running the sets. We got [a total of] 31 assists so we were moving the ball well. [He] controlled the game very well and led the team well that way.”