Knicks vs. Pistons: 3 Stars From Donte DiVincenzo's Three-Point Showcase

The New York Knicks handled business against the lowly Detroit Pistons in style thanks to the efforts of Donte DiVincenzo and more.

Author:
Geoff Magliocchetti
Mar 26, 2024

In this story:

Donte DiVincenzo

New York Knicks

Detroit Pistons

Jalen Brunson

Josh Hart

With the Motor City showcasing a lemon of a roster, the New York Knicks took no chances when the Detroit Pistons, missing eight regulars, visited on Monday night.

Behind a Donte DiVincenzo showcase from deep, New York dominated Detroit by a 124-99 final at Madison Square Garden. A Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Charlotte Hornets prevented the Knicks (43-28) from swiping third place in the Eastern Conference but they returned to a season-best 15 games over .500 with wins in five of their last six.

After single-digit victories over the woebegone Pistons (12-60) in their first two meetings, the Knicks broke away early, needing just over four minutes to balloon a one-point lead into 20, which remained mostly consistent for the remainder of the game. New York now hits the road for a couple, beginning with Wednesday's trip north to Toronto (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

Honorable Mentions

Precious Achiuwa: 16 rebounds, 9 points
Isaiah Hartenstein: 10 rebounds, 6 points, 5 assists
Bojan Bogdanovic: 13 points
Miles McBride: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

undefined — Mar 25, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) drives to the basket

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

3rd Star: Josh Hart

It was another night where Hart did a little bit of everything, as he picked up his sixth triple-double of the season with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. With 11 games left on the docket, Hart is just two away from tying Walt "Clyde" Frazier's record for the most in a single Knicks season.

2nd Star: Jalen Brunson

With a score like that, it's hard to believe that there was any form of drama to speak of in Monday's game. But when the Pistons got the lead down to as "little" as 17 by halftime, Brunson scored the first eight points of the third period to ensure that the only drama in store was DiVincenzo's chase at team history. He capped things off with an and-one opportunity, part of a 28-point night built on 10-of-20 shooting. Between points and assists, Brunson played a role on 16 of the Knicks' 36 tallies in the third period.

1st Star: Donte DiVincenzo

DiVincenzo isn't counting his three-pointers but Knicks fans certainly were: the first-year Manhattanite set the Knicks' single-game record with 11 three-pointers on Monday, breaking the mark he briefly shared with Monday opponent Evan Fournier DiVincenzo technically had 12 to set a new high-water mark for the whole NBA season, but officials determined that his foot was out of bounds on one attempt. That did nothing to stop the party, however, as DiVincenzo tallied the first 40-point game of his career in the win. DiVincenzo wrapped the evening with an 11-of-20 mark from three-point range, that output partly marred by late attempts to go for history.