Pistons cruise past Knicks

Tobias Harris scored 23 of his 28 points in the first half, when the Detroit Pistons took control with a fast start on their way to a 112-92 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday night in Auburn Hill, Michigan.

The Pistons have had some issues with slow starts lately, but they raced out to an 18-point lead in the first quarter against New York. Harris finished the period with 11 points in what was an encouraging effort by Detroit, which was coming off an emotional win over Cleveland on Thursday night.

The Pistons are 12-6 since the start of February, and they’ve boosted their postseason hopes in the process.

New York trailed 66-53 at halftime and 89-81 after three quarters, and Detroit had little trouble closing out the game. Andre Drummond had 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Pistons, and Reggie Jackson had 19 points and eight assists.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 points for the Knicks, who had six players in double figures but lost for the fourth time in five games.

The Pistons pulled within a half-game of Indiana for the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference. They’re also trying to hold off Milwaukee, Chicago and Miami, all of which entered the day within a game of Detroit. are completed,” the Spurs said in a statement.

Aldridge missed the final seven games of his rookie season after doctors used an ablation — a procedure designed to treat tissue in the heart to make the heartbeat regular again — to treat him and get him back on the court. He also needed an ablation during training camp in 2011, but was able to return to the court in time to play in the preseason and made the All-Star team for Portland that season.

The Spurs were well aware of Aldridge’s heart issue when they signed him to a max contract as a free agent in 2015. It has always been considered a minor situation and he has been able to return to playing relatively quickly after each episode, but they still weren’t taking any chances.

“Unexpected, but it’s a sensitive issue, so we want to make sure that he’s fine,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili told reporters at the team’s shootaround on Saturday morning. “The most important thing is to have him healthy. We’ll wait as long as is necessary for him to feel secure and sure, and the team, too.”

The news for Aldridge comes on the heels of Leonard being placed in the league’s concussion protocol. It means the Spurs will play Golden State on Saturday night without their two best players.