DETROIT — Alec Burks hit a 3-pointer for New York’s final points and finished off Detroit with a last-second steal in the Knicks’ 104-102 victory over the Pistons on Sunday.
RJ Barrett led New York with 21 points, Julius Randle had 20 and Burks and Immanuel Quickley had 18 each.
Trailing by two, the Pistons called a timeout to set up a final play with 6.6 seconds left. Killian Hayes inbounded the ball to Cade Cunningham, but Burks stripped the ball as he tried to drive.
Marvin Bagley III led Detroit with 27 points, and Cunningham added 18.
The Knicks took control early, going up 45-26 on a reverse alley-oop dunk by Obi Toppin in the second quarter. They led by 21, but the Pistons regained the momentum after halftime.
Detroit pulled to 80-79 after holding New York to 21 points in the third quarter and tied it at 83 with 9:56 to play.
Quickley answered with a 3-pointer and his dunk drew a Pistons timeout with New York up 90-86 with 7:07 to play. Detroit tied it again at 90, but Randle’s 3-pointer sparked a 7-0 run.
Bagley dunked over Randle and made a free throw to pull the Pistons to 99-96 with 2:09 left, and Saddiq Bey made two free throws to make it a one-point game with a minute left.
Burks’s 3-pointer made it 104-100, but Hayes cut the margin in half with a layup. Barrett’s fadeaway jumper missed, and Bey grabbed the rebound to set up the final possession.
TIP INS
Knicks: Former Pistons and Knicks player Allan Houston, now a member of the New York front office, met with Pistons guard Bey to congratulate him before the game. Bey broke Houston’s franchise record for single-season 3-pointers this week.
Pistons: Cunningham moved past 1,000 points in the first half of his 59th career game. The first overall pick last summer is averaging 17.1 points.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Chicago on Monday night.
Pistons: At Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
