| Jason Maxiell, PF 19 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | -9He was kind of a victim of the situation in the first half. With the Pistons struggling and the Knicks going small, he didn’t really fit. When the team made its run late in the third, he played well enough on defense and the boards, drawing a charge on Carmelo Anthony. | |
| Tayshaun Prince, SF 35 MIN | 5-10 FG | 2-6 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | -15Pretty much the typical Tayshaun Prince game. He took a lot of mid-range jumpers, he played some decent defense on Anthony and he did a little bit of everything. I’m not sure why Lawrence Frank drew up so many isolation plays for him — especially being guarded by a good defender in Iman Shumpert. | |
| Kyle Singler, SF 35 MIN | 5-10 FG | 2-4 FT | 3 REB | 4 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 15 PTS | -11He was legitimately the Pistons only threat from behind the 3-point line and he was productive, making three shots from deep. He, like the rest of the starters, struggled defensively early, but his offense was one of the lone bright spots. | |
| Greg Monroe, C 36 MIN | 4-12 FG | 3-4 FT | 10 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 11 PTS | -3He finished with a double-double, but his offense was off all night. A long, athletic defender like Tyson Chandler always gives him problems and that was no different today. He rebounded well and had five assists (and four turnovers), but outside the mini-rally in the third quarter, he was totally out of sorts. | |
| Brandon Knight, PG 18 MIN | 0-4 FG | 1-2 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 1 PTS | -9I’m not sure that Knight has played a worse game in a Pistons’ jersey. He was listless, unenthusiastic and basically served as a guy who brought the ball up court. He rewarded by being glued to the bench after Will Bynum exploded in the second half. On the bright side he only turned it over once! | |
| Charlie Villanueva, PF 12 MIN | 2-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 5 PTS | -8Surprisingly (not) he wasn’t much on defense and was really a non-factor on offense. If he’s not making 3-pointers, he’s not helping you at all — which was the case with just two rebounds. | |
| Austin Daye, PF 10 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -3Like Charlie V, he’s a guy who needs to be making shots to make an impact. He had the flagrant foul on Chandler and also fouled Carmelo Anthony on a 3-pointer, but otherwise he kind of just floated around the perimeter. | |
| Andre Drummond, C 23 MIN | 5-7 FG | 1-2 FT | 10 REB | 1 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 0 TO | 11 PTS | -12This is nothing new, but he brought all the energy humanly possible in the second and late fourth quarter. He out-performed Monroe in 13 fewer minutes and he even had Knicks’ announcers Spero Dedes and Walt Frazier marveling at his physical prowess. | |
| Viacheslav Kravtsov, C 1 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | +2Well, the little-used European got some garbage minutes in his home… continent? He actually made one nice play, turning a forced inside feed into a pass out to Singler for a 3-pointer late. | |
| Will Bynum, PG 30 MIN | 10-16 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 22 PTS | -6Team struggles all game, then Bynum turns it on and brings them back into the game. This is a recording. He played well enough to keep Knight benched for most of the second half and led the third quarter charge. Call me crazy here, but if Bynum keeps up his pace of coming in and bringing the offense with some consistency, could he be (maybe distantly) in the running for Sixth Man of the Year? | |
| Rodney Stuckey, PG 21 MIN | 2-6 FG | 2-4 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 6 PTS | -1Stuckey was basically invisible. He’s obviously a guy who needs to have the ball in his hands to be effective, but when Bynum goes on his tears like he did today, Stuckey becomes a bit redundant. | |
| Lawrence FrankIt didn’t help that the Pistons came out defenseless and fell behind by 14 points early — but it’s kind of his job to scheme to avoid that, right? Considering how much of a mismatch the Knicks are for the Pistons, Frank made what adjustments he could thereafter. Drummond could have played more, but his lineup of Bynum-Singler-Prince-Maxiell-Monroe in the third was actually the most productive of the night. Kudos to him giving Knight the hook when he wasn’t doing anything, too. | |
