NEW YORK — For most of the night, the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks battled. But the home team delivered a convincing final punch in the final period.
The Pistons lost to the Knicks in Game 1 of the opening round of the playoffs, 123-112. The Knicks took command of the game with a 21-0 run, holding the Pistons scoreless from the 9:15 mark of the quarter until 4:36 remained. In that stretch, an eight-point Pistons lead turned into a 111-98 deficit.
After outscoring the Knicks 36-26 in the third, they were outscored 40-21 in the final period while allowing the home team to shoot 70.