Tyson Chandler tied a franchise record with his third straight 20-rebound game, Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points, and the New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons 99-85 on Monday night for their fifth consecutive victory.
In a game that was decided early, Chandler played long enough to grab his 20th rebound midway through the fourth quarter. After grabbing 20 in victories on Friday and Saturday night, he became the first Knicks player to have 20 in three straight games since Hall of Famer Willis Reed in December 1969.
Two nights after being held to nine points, snapping his franchise single-season record of 31 games in a row with 20 or more, Anthony matched that total in the first quarter and shot 10 of 17 from the field.
Amare Stoudemire added 20 points and J.R. Smith added 16, along with a couple of comedic highlights in a game that was mostly a yawner.
It was another lopsided victory for the Knicks, who beat Sacramento by 39 on Saturday and led this one by as many as 26 before easing up in the second half. They have jumped on the Pistons early in all three meetings this season, and after nearly rallying to beat the Lakers on Sunday, Detroit couldn’t get really close in this one.
Newly acquired Jose Calderon scored 15 points in his Detroit debut, while Greg Monroe had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson lost his chance to coach the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game Sunday when Miami’s victory in Toronto gave Erik Spoelstra the nod. But Woodson still thinks the Knicks can be ahead of the Heat when the teams break on Feb. 15, saying he wanted the Knicks to go 9-2 in their 11 games leading into the weekend.
They’re 6-1 now with winnable road games up next at Washington and Minnesota before they finish up at home against the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto.
The Knicks scored 64 first-half points in a rout of the Pistons on Nov. 25 and jumped to a 16-2 lead in a 102-87 victory in London last month.
This time, it was 28-13 after one, grew to 33-13 early in the second, and peaked at 57-31 on Anthony’s layup with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. The Knicks at one point had 10 3-pointers to the Pistons’ 12 baskets, and on a couple of occasions it seemed Detroit coach Lawrence Frank was practically calling timeout before a Knicks shot finished going.
Things were so easy that Knicks players — though not Woodson — had a good laugh when Smith threw up an airball on a free throw in the first half. Perhaps seeking some extra shooting, or maybe tougher competition, Smith came out during the halftime break, where a youth game was taking place. Smith tried to defend the inbound passer, then ran up the court with the kids calling for the ball.
Acquired last week in the three-team trade that sent Rudy Gay from Memphis to Toronto, Calderon was cleared to play Monday. The Spanish guard’s debut had been on hold because of unresolved visa issues, and he was immediately put into the starting lineup once he was good to go.
He was the lone bright spot much of the night. Rodney Stuckey added 14 points and Will Bynum had 13.
Notes: Monday was the anniversary of the start of Linsanity. Jeremy Lin came off the bench of a Feb. 4, 2012, game against the Nets and scored 25 points, sparking the Knicks to a victory and sending himself on the way to becoming a global phenomenon.