AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Carmelo Anthony sounded as confused and dejected in Motown after this latest debacle Tuesday, but didn’t attack the team’s effort as he did after Saturday night’s loss to the Hawks. Instead, he took his aggravation out on the officiating.
Anthony heated up in the fourth quarter after a brutal first three periods. But as with this sorry season, it was too little, too late.
Anthony suffered another wayward performance as he shot 8-of-20 with seven turnovers and one technical foul. He wound up with 25 points as the Knicks lost their third straight and fell to 3-7 after a 92-86 loss to the struggling Pistons at The Palace.
“I thought effort was there at times,’’ Anthony said. “We’re losing. It’s a messed-up feeling, hurt feeling. We got to figure this out quick.’’
He then added, “As the leader of this team, I feel I could do more.”
A foul-plagued Anthony showed his frustration on the court, picking up a third-quarter technical as the game slipped away and yapped nonstop at the referees over non-calls.
“It’s kind of hard dealing with that when you think things should be going your way and they’re not,’’ Anthony said. “When you think something should be called and they’re not. I got to fight through that.’’
The undermanned Knicks were outclassed in the second half by the lousy Pistons (4-6). Detroit took a 15-point lead early in the fourth before Anthony led a rally, getting them within four points in the final minute.
“It’s hard to take anything positive out of anything the way we’ve been playing these games,’’ he said. “It’s not really making sense to me right now what’s really going on. Why we’re not in sync with one another. We’re losing basketball games. We’re playing in spurts as far as playing hard.’’
It was the ninth anniversary of the “Malice at the Palace” brawl and the Knicks didn’t show enough fight without Malice villain Metta World Peace (sore left knee), starting point guard Raymond Felton (hip) and center Tyson Chandler (broken leg).
Anthony said after the Atlanta loss Saturday, “It was like we weren’t even trying.’’
The Knicks tried in Motown. They aren’t talented enough when this undermanned, even against Detroit.
And it’s only going to get worse Wednesday when the Knicks host the 9-1 Pacers, who eliminated the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs last May. The Knicks have yet to recover. The ”Fire Woodson’’ chants could start early.
“It’s a matter of wanting it more [Wednesday],’’ Anthony said. “There’s bitter feelings. Hopefully that gives us some momentum, energy, confidence, anger.’’
Without three key pieces of the rotation and Anthony shooting 5-of-15 through three quarters, the Knicks were cooked. Anthony scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but Detroit’s big frontcourt of Greg Monroe (16 points), Josh Smith (19) and Andre Drummond (13) was too much to handle for the Knicks, who started Kenyon Martin at center.
“We had effort, we had defense,’’ Martin said. “But sometimes you make shots, sometimes you miss.’’
Anthony shot 3-of-12 in the first half with four turnovers. His frustration boiled over in the third during a 11-3 Pistons run that broke the game open. Anthony bricked a jumper over an outstretched Josh Smith and picked up a technical foul, arguing he was fouled.
Anthony was ticked again moments later, as he drove to the hole, got fouled, and made the layup. It looked like a potential three-point play. But it was waved off and called a non-shooting foul. Anthony exited the game in a huff.
Amar’e Stoudemire also picked up a technical in the third after missing twice inside and not getting a call.
“We lost our composure a little,’’ Mike Woodson said. “Melo thought he had a three-point play, which I went back and looked at and he did.’’
Woodson declined to intentional foul Drummond during the fiourth quarter. Drummond, an inept free-throw shooter, was 1-of-5 in the game and 2-of-12 for the season.
Instead, the Knicks let Drummond hurt them on the glass with two straight putbacks. Ronald Stuckey also added 21 points.
The Knicks shot just 43.4 percent. Stoudemire blamed “a stagnant offense,’’ poor ball movement and spacing.
J.R. Smith, back to his sixth-man role, scored 18 points.
“We just have to get back to running and it’s easier for everybody,’’ Smith said. “We just have to do a better job when guys get the ball, pushing it.’’