No chants, no drama ... just a win

There was nothing exciting about the Knicks’ low-scoring, 96-84 victory over the slumping Pistons, but after a week of beefing with Spike Lee, ejecting disgruntled fans and getting dissed by Chris Paul, they will probably relish in the lack of drama.

And while the game was a slog, the Knicks’ willingness to methodically grind down their oppo- nent was impressive in its own way.

The Knicks put the defensive clamps on the Pistons, who shot an ice-cold 36% from the field as they were pummeled in the interior. The Knicks outrebounded the Pistons, 51-35, and outscored them in the paint, 54-32. And after allowing Christian Wood to score 13 points in the first half, the Knicks made him a nonfactor in the second half.

Mitchell Robinson (14 points on 5-6 shooting, 11 rebounds) was a defensive menace right down to the final seconds of the game, tallying three blocks and constantly forcing Pistons players to alter their shots when they tested the young center.

Julius Randle shrugged off a slow start in the first half, and finished the game with 22 points on 7-14 shooting and 12 rebounds. He helped pace the Knicks in the second half as they wore down the Pistons.

And Elfrid Payton (16 points, 6 assists) was the catalyst behind a 15-2 Knicks run at the end of the first quarter that helped turn an eight-point deficit into a five-point lead. He also connected with Robinson on a reverse alley-oop that was easily the play of the game.

Payton, who has averaged 18 points over his last three games, is trying to finish on a strong note.

“I’m just trying to be aggressive, just trying to end the season the right way and just trying to get some momentum heading into next season,” Payton said after the win.

But some of the most important plays came from the Knicks who were having otherwise lackluster nights, and it stopped the Pistons from clawing their way back into the game.

In a third quarter full of lead changes, RJ Barrett (12 points, 5-16 shooting) bookended a 7-0 run with a three and a slashing layup as the Knicks built an eight-point lead.

When the Pistons narrowed the score to 72-71 in the fourth, Bobby Portis (7 points, 3-10 shooting) hit two big shots, and Wayne Ellington (6 points, 2-6 shooting) sank a clutch three to give the Knicks a bit of breathing room.

Frank Ntilikina, who scored 7 points on 3-10 shooting, hit a pair of driving layups that gave the Knicks a nine-point lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

By the time Randle hit a three with 4:38 left in the fourth quarter to put the Knicks up by 12, the wind had been taken out of the Pistons’ sails.