Ivey can’t break out of post-All-Star funk in loss to Knicks
Omari Sankofa II
It was a one-man show at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The Detroit Pistons, ostensibly in the building to play a basketball game, instead got a front-row seat.
Donte DiVincenzo splashed 3-pointer after 3-pointer as the hapless Pistons struggled to do, well, just about everything. The New York Knicks sharpshooter set a career-high with 11 3-pointers, leading his team to a 124-99 rout of Detroit, which hit only 10 3s as a team.
It was the Pistons’ second game in a row with eight players on the injury report — Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, Simone Fontecchio, Quentin Grimes, Stanley Umude and Taj Gibson all sat out. Cunningham has now missed two games in a row due to left knee injury management.
The game was over quickly — the Knicks opened with a 29-8 run, picking up assists on their first eight baskets in a passing clinic as the Pistons stumbled on both ends of the floor. DiVincenzo, who led all scorers with 40 points, caught fire early by knocking down three of his first four attempts in the opening period.
A night after scoring an NBA-low 10 points in the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, Detroit had just eight points with four minutes remaining in the period on Monday. A hook from 10-day forward Chimezie Metu with 3:11 on the clock was Detroit’s first points in nearly six minutes.
Meanwhile, DiVincenzo was just warming up: A Steph Curry-like array followed less than four minutes into the second half, as he knocked down his sixth, seventh and eighth 3pointers on consecutive possessions to push New York’s lead to 76-50 and officially signal the end of competitive hoops.
Rookie guard Marcus Sasser led the Pistons with 24 points and six assists, former Knick Evan Fournier scored 15, and James Wiseman (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Malachi Flynn (14 points) also scored in double figures. Jaden Ivey added just nine points on 2-for-14 shooting. Detroit shot 38.6% overall and 10-for-34
(29.4%) from 3.
Struggles continue for Ivey
After an ice-cold start, it appeared Ivey was beginning to find a rhythm. The second-year guard picked up his first basket of the night, a 3-pointer, midway through the second quarter after missing his first six attempts, then added four free throws and a midrange jumper to bring the Pistons within 16.
Ivey then came up with a steal at midcourt, and immediately drove to the rim for a contested layup attempt with 99 seconds left in the half. It missed. Jalen Brunson proceeded to knock down a 3 on the other end, dumping cold water on the Pistons’ lone burst of momentum of the night.
Ivey had an efficient start to the season, but he has had a tougher time hitting shots since All-Star weekend.
Pre-All Star break: 15.3 points and 3.6 assists per game, 45.4% overall, 36.1% from 3, 72.9% at the line
Post-All Star break: 15.5 points and 3.9 assists per game, 40.1% overall, 25.3% from 3, 83.1% at the line
Monday won’t reverse his downward trend, as his 2-for-14 performance was among his worst of the season. It’s unclear when — or if — Cunningham, Duren and Fontecchio will return. Ivey has had his work cut out for him as the de facto No. 1 option on Detroit’s skeletal roster, but he’s also been prone to bad decision-making, such as the ill-advised drive that immediately conceded another Knicks 3pointer.