Donte DiVincenzo can add a Knicks single-game record to his eventual single-season record.
The sharpshooting guard set the franchise mark with 11 3-pointers, finishing with a career-high 40 points in a 124-99 laugher victory over the Pistons.
DiVincenzo, who bested the 10 treys converted by Evan Fournier and J.R. Smith for New York, hit the record-breaking shot with 3:16 remaining over former teammate Malachi Flynn.
Fournier, now with the Pistons, also tried to guard DiVincenzo — and did better than most — but couldn’t stop the new record.
DiVincenzo, who knocked down 11 of his 20 3-point attempts in 41 minutes, also put a huge dent in his pursuit of the single-season Knicks record.
He’s now just eight treys behind Fournier with 11 games remaining.
Barring an injury, it’s in the bag.
And so was Monday’s game.
It was over before tipoff.
The Knicks are a real NBA team, fighting for a playoff position with a stout defense.
The Pistons are unserious and only existed Monday to ensure maximum draft lottery balls.
The league’s worst team would’ve lost at full strength anyway, and instead it was demolished while cobbling together a lineup that might’ve fallen in the G-League semis.
Detroit’s starters included Tosan Evbuomwan, an undrafted Princeton man who played in 11 career games before Monday.
Another starter, James Wiseman, is probably the biggest draft bust of the last five or six years, maybe longer.
Cade Cunningham, the Pistons best player, didn’t play.
Buddy Boeheim, the son of the former Syracuse coach, did.
And so, predictably, the Knicks stormed out to a 29-8 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
DiVincenzo put on that shooting clinic, getting repeated open looks until the Pistons realized they should probably guard the 3-point line.
Jalen Brunson added 28 points, slicing up Detroit’s overwhelmed defenders.
Josh Hart notched his sixth triple-double since January, grabbing 14 boards with 10 assists and 11 points.
It was the Villanova show.
And the Pistons (12-60), losers of seven straight, were a no-show.
They shot just 38.6% percent and gave up 46 points in the paint — in addition to 19 Knicks pointers, most from DiVincenzo.
Credit: Source link
