Hamilton rips 26 in Pistons rout

Tayshaun Prince netted 18 points and Carlos Delfino contributed 11 for the Pistons, who have won six straight and 17 of their last 19 contests.

Chauncey Billups had only two points, but handed out 13 assists for Detroit, which made 12-of-25 three-point shots. The Pistons ended the game by shooting 51 percent from the field.

Eddy Curry had 26 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who have dropped four straight games since opening 2006 with six consecutive wins. New York also played without Stephon Marbury for the second straight game as the guard continues to be plagued by a sprained left shoulder.

Channing Frye scored 15 points in the loss.

Earlier in the day, Knicks forward Antonio Davis was suspended for five games without pay after going into the stands in Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls.

The president of the NBA Players’ Association ran into the crowd with 1:04 remaining in overtime during New York’s 106-104 loss at the United Center. He allegedly saw his wife being threatened by a fan who may have been intoxicated, but the forward threw no punches and seemed to remain calm throughout the encounter.

Davis’ suspension will continue through the rest of the homestand with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic. He will return to action after the Philadelphia 76ers game on January 28.

The game also saw Knicks head man Larry Brown take on his former team for the second time this season. Brown was relieved from his duties as Detroit’s head coach following the 2004-05 campaign, just two seasons into a five-year contract. During his tenure, though, Detroit won the NBA championship in 2004 and lost in seven games to San Antonio in last year’s NBA Finals.

The Pistons then hired former Minnesota Timberwolves front man Flip Saunders and have not lost a step. Saunders, who will coach the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game, has led the club to an NBA-best 32-5 record this year.

Leading 10-8 early on, Detroit opened the game up courtesy of a 10-0 surge, as all five members of the starting five scored a bucket. Billups’ hoop with around 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the opening period eventually capped the run and made it 20-8.

The Pistons then led by 11 moments later before closing the frame on a 7-0 burst to claim a comfortable 28-13 lead after one quarter.

New York cut its deficit to six points midway through the period, but that is as close as it would get. The Pistons ended the half on a 13-4 burst, keyed by six from Rasheed Wallace and five points by Hamilton, to grab a 48-33 lead at the intermission.

Hamilton had 16 points and Wallace added 15 in the opening 24 minutes.

Detroit turned the game into a complete laugher in the third quarter, as it led by a whopping 25 points when Prince drained a three-pointer. The Pistons held a 74-51 edge after the period and ballooned the cushion to as many as 30 points in the final frame.

It marked the second consecutive lopsided win, as Detroit embarrassed Atlanta, 117-89, Wednesday night at Philips Arena.

Game Notes

The Knicks, who turned the ball over 20 times, made only 1-of-7 three-point tries...Detroit has won four straight road games and is 16-3 as the visitor....The Pistons have taken both meetings this season and have won eight of the last nine games against New York...The Knicks’ 26-point loss ties their worst defeat of the season. New York also lost by 26 points on January 15 against Toronto.