Until further notice, the Pistons still own the Knicks.
For the third time in three matchups this season, Detroit punked New York and reinforced its position atop the East, prompting boos from the MSG crowd at the end of Thursday’s 126-111 victory.
Cade Cunningham gave the Knicks fits, per usual, dropping 42 points in 38 minutes with 13 assists and eight rebounds.
He got no resistance from OG Anunoby, who is missing a toenail but played Thursday like he was missing both feet.
The Knicks (35-21), sitting third in the East, fell seven games behind the No. 1 Pistons (41-13).
Their chances of getting the top seed are bleaker than ever.
And they’ve been utterly overmatched by the upstart Pistons.
In the three games, the Knicks were outscored by a total of 84 points. They’ve been frustrated and rendered inefficient by the athletic feistiness of the Pistons, who held New York to just 22.9 percent on 3-pointers Thursday.
Total, the Knicks missed 28 treys.
Anunoby (eight points, 3 for 13 shooting) was terrible.
Mikal Bridges (eight points) disappeared and was benched for the final 9 ½ minutes.
Karl-Anthony Towns was again messy with just two points in the first half, though he recovered nicely and finished with 19.
Jalen Brunson was alone with 33 points and seven assists, but he committed six turnovers.
It was ugly.
Pride, more than anything, should’ve on the line for the Knicks after previous results against Detroit.
The Garden crowd was fired up for the showdown, hoping for some Knicks revenge.
But the Pistons still carried the bigger chip on their shoulders after losing to the Knicks in the playoffs last year, a series that still hasn’t been forgotten in Detroit.
“That series still in my mind could have gone either way depending on some circumstances that we won’t get into tonight,” said Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff, alluding, perhaps, to the botched noncall at the end of Game 4. “It was a great learning lesson for our guys, but the regular season matters, how you present yourself every single night matters.
“I think people for whatever reason, because there’s 82 games, people want to devalue the regular season but the regular matters to help you get ready for where you’re going. And those experiences matter. Confidence against an opponent matters, the belief that you can beat an opponent matters, especially when you tie in the experience of going through a playoff series and having the ability to take that next step.”
Building confidence against the Knicks this season hasn’t been a problem for Detroit.
On Thursday, the Knicks were almost at full strength with the return of Anunoby, who sat the previous four games with that toenail problem.
The Pistons, meanwhile, were missing their bruising frontcourt duo of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, who were suspended because of a brawl before the All-Star break.
But their absences proved inconsequential. The Knicks’ offense was again stuck in mud because the Pistons are stronger and faster.
They trailed by 10 at the break.
The Knicks then rallied after halftime to cut the deficit to 4, largely because Towns came out aggressive after disappearing in the first half.
But the comeback was short-lived.
The Pistons were back up 11 to start the fourth quarter, with the Knicks offering nothing to stop Cunningham.