2) Noel and Toppin continued to impress in the second quarter, as the Knicks took a 49-48 lead into the half. Despite the one point lead, New York shot just 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc with Reggie Bullock and Frank Ntilikina going 1-for-1 from three.
3) Head coach Tom Thibodeau's coaching style began to show in the third quarter with the Knicks outscoring the Pistons 26-14 and taking a 13 point lead into the fourth quarter. RJ Barrett scored eight points, including two nice mid-range jump shots, and Mitchell Robinson ended the quarter with a block on Derrick Rose.
4) Elfrid Payton showed that he could be the best fit for the starting point guard role, recording 10 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in 27 minutes.
Dennis Smith Jr. looked solid in 21 minutes of action off the bench, scoring seven points on 3-for-7 shooting in addition to two assists and two steals. Ntilikina was efficient in his 19 minutes on the court, as the guard scored seven points and had five rebounds. However, he and Smith both had four turnovers.
5) Toppin finished the game with 11 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one block in 20 minutes. The Dayton product showed his athleticism all over the court, but did commit four fouls on defense as he was often matched up against Blake Griffin.
Barrett looked better as the game went on, as he led the team with 15 points on 7-for-16 shooting and also recorded five rebounds.
The Knicks relied on Randle down the stretch, and he hit a big foul line jumper with 34.8 seconds left in the game to give the Knicks an 87-79 lead. He finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
Highlights
