Stuckey, Wilcox help Pistons hold on to beat Knicks 94-90

Stuckey, Wilcox help Pistons beat Knicks

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Rodney Stuckey scored 20 points, Charlie Villanueva added 19, and the Detroit Pistons won their third straight game, beating the New York Knicks 94-90 on Saturday night.

Detroit snapped a 13-game losing streak Tuesday with a win in Washington, then needed overtime to beat the Hornets on Friday. Against New York, the Pistons nearly blew a 21-point, second-half lead before holding on. Chris Wilcox had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Detroit.

David Lee narrowly missed a triple-double for the Knicks, finishing with 26 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. Danilo Gallinari added 27 points for New York.

The Pistons used a 16-2 second-quarter run to take a 51-37 lead at the half. Stuckey had 15 in the half after scoring eight in Friday’s overtime period. Lee and Gallinari combined for 29 points for New York, but the rest of the Knicks hit just four of 22 shots.

The Pistons moved their advantage to as many as 21 in the third quarter, and still held a 77-60 lead going into the fourth.

Detroit, though, started to struggle in the fourth after the previous night’s overtime. The Pistons missed seven straight shots to allow the Knicks within 84-77 with five minutes left.

Gallinari’s jumper made it a 90-87 game before Villanueva’s miss gave the Knicks a chance to tie.

Nate Robinson missed, and the officials used instant replay to rule that the rebound went out of bounds off the Knicks. Detroit then clinched the game from the line.

NOTES: For the second straight night, the Pistons played without Tayshaun Prince (knee), Ben Gordon (groin) and Will Bynum (ankle). … Ben Wallace slowed Lee down on a third-quarter possession, blocking two of his shots in two seconds. … Lee’s nine assists matched a career high.