Daniss Jenkins shows why he's getting full deal in Pistons' rout
· Yahoo Sports
After suffering arguably their worst loss of the season, to the Washington Wizards on Thursday, Feb. 5, the Detroit Pistons followed with a dominant win over the New York Knicks on Friday.
They defeated the Knicks, 118-80, at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons led by as many as 43 points in a commanding performance, while holding the Knicks to 35.8% shooting, the fourth-worst percentage of any Pistons opponent this season, and limiting playoff villain Jalen Brunson to just 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting.
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The Pistons were led by Daniss Jenkins (18 points), Tobias Harris (15 points, six rebound) and Isaiah Stewart (15 points) and shot 53% as a team. Cade Cunningham finished with 11 points and seven assists in just 21 minutes due to foule trouble and a healthy lead. They were without Jalen Duren, who exited Wednesday's loss to the Wizards with right knee soreness. The Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby.
Detroit Pistons playoff picture
The Pistons (38-13) kept their sizable lead in the Eastern Conference with Friday’s win, keeping pace at 4½ games ahead of the Boston Celtics, who also won Friday, and moving to 5½ games ahead of the Knicks. The Pistons are now 7½ up on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division. Next up, the Pistons hit the road for a game against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit).
Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland lock down Jalen Brunson
Thompson already was dominating the game before he scored his first bucket — a fastbreak dunk midway toward the end of the second quarter that, fittingly, came after he had a strong contest on a corner 3-point attempt from Brunson.
The third-year wing appears to have learned a lot from his six playoff games against Brunson last spring. He mirrored the All-Star's every move and made him work for every shot, becoming the primary reason Brunson had just five points at halftime, on 2-for-13 shooting.
Thompson hounded New York’s wings as well. Midway through the second period, he rotated as Landry Shamet squared up for a corner 3-pointer, rejecting the shot with his left hand. Late in the quarter, he chased down a fastbreak layup attempt by Josh Hart and swatted the attempt out of bounds.
Holland was able to approximate Thompson’s defensive job on Brunson, similarly mimicking his moves and denying him space. They led an all-around dominant defensive night against a shorthanded Knicks team, which was the seventh team this season to shoot worse than 40% against the Pistons.
Daniss Jenkins shows why his promotion is coming
Friday was Jenkins’ 50th and final game of eligibility on his two-way contract. When president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon was asked about it during his a pregame press conference, he assured folks that the goal is to sign Jenkins to a standard deal before their next game Monday.
“Kudos to him,” Langdon said. “He’s worked his butt off.”
Jenkins proceeded to showcase his importance to the team. He checked in toward the end of the first quarter after Cunningham picked up his second foul and immediately got to work. In the final minute of the period, he converted a three-point play and then knocked down a 3-pointer to cap a 14-3 run that extended their lead to double digits, 28-17.
He maintained the pressure as the Pistons extended their run in the second, knocking down a 3-pointer with 9:40 to play until halftime to push the lead to 15, and then a midrange jumper later in the quarter to extend the lead to 60-39. At the end of the third, he knocked down three-consecutive buckets — a 3-pointer, up-and-under scoop and midrange jumper, to make it a 90-60 lead.
Jenkins led an all-round strong night for the Pistons' reserves, who finished with 66 points. The second unit — Jenkins, Holland, Javonte Green, Caris LeVert and Paul Reed — led a hot second quarter in which the Pistons shot 8-for-12 from 3. They led a 31-14 Pistons run through the end of the first until midway through the second, turning a game tied at 14 into a blowout that only got bigger as the game progressed.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons continue revenge tour vs New York Knicks in blowout