The Detroit Pistons looked like a professional basketball team wednesday night in Madison Square Garden. That's a big improvement from the poor performance against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Unfortunately, that wasn't enough, as New York put more defensive pressure in the second half and the Pistons couldn't cope. After scoring 56 points in the first half with speed and smooth offense, the Pistons were limited to 36 points until 1 minute and 16 seconds left in the game, when the Knicks found themselves leading by 14 points.
Detroit scored 8 points at trash time, but it's clear who is stronger. The Knicks made huge strides propelled by Julius Randall, who had 29 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
The Pistons, led by Jeramie Grant, scored 18 points.
At the start of the game, the Pistons' ball was moving and the shots were dropping. Isaiah Stewart was involved in some clever passes from his teammates at the start, with Shaburn Lee hitting four three-pointers in the first half and even Jamoco Pickett slashing seven points and five rebounds in the second quarter.
But then the Knicks ramped up defensive pressure with the help of Randle and veteran Taj Gibson and Alec Burks, who chased every defender he saw on the court.
Detroit doesn't have many answers, and when these bench veterans are able to calm down some of the chaos, it's a surprise for Canadian trio Corey Joseph, Kelly Olyny and Trey Lyles.
Olynyk was almost an unimportant factor, scoring just 10 points, three turnovers and 0 assists on nine shots. Lyles, meanwhile, didn't hit his free throws (just 29 percent from the team's 37 shots) and made some poor decisions while he was holding the ball.
The worst part, however, was Joseph, who had been bullied all night, which kept him out of the game altogether. Joseph had just four points and three assists. On a night without Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham and Sadiq Bay, Joseph needed to stand up, but he just couldn't.
Hamid Diallo continued to struggle to find his place on offense (6 points, 5 rebounds), and when Frank Jackson started, he tried to do too much in his 13 shots and made some controversial mid-range jumpers and fly shots on the inside.
It wasn't the result the team wanted, but at least in Friday's preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers, it was a step in the right direction. It's unclear who will be able to wear the jersey by then, but hopefully the Pistons will be able to complement their team.