Pistons pump into Big Apple

This is the third meeting of the season between the squads. The Pistons won the previous two contests, as they picked up victories at home and on the road.

Detroit has won six straight and eight of the last nine meetings in this series. The Pistons have won two in a row and three of their last four at New York.

The Pistons are scheduled to host the Knicks on April 16th at The Palace of Auburn Hills in the fourth and final meeting of the campaign between the clubs.

Detroit plays the middle contest of a three-game road trip. On Wednesday, Chauncey Billups ended with 26 points and 10 assists to lead the Pistons over the Toronto Raptors, 105-98, at Air Canada Centre.

Tayshaun Prince added 21 points and six rebounds in the win over Toronto for the Pistons, who won consecutive games for the first time since ending February with six straight victories.

Richard Hamilton finished with 17 points, five boards and six assists and Antonio McDyess netted 16 and grabbed six rebounds for Detroit, which has captured 10 of its last 13 games overall.

The Pistons, who will visit Charlotte on Saturday, are 23-10 as the visitor this season.

New York attempts to win back-to-back games this evening, as they play the third of a five-game homestand. Nate Robinson’s free throw with 1:10 left in the second overtime gave New York the lead for good and the Knicks went on to a 121-117 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

Robinson scored 16 of his 18 points from the fourth quarter on, as the Knicks ended a two-game slide. Jamal Crawford scored a team-high 21 points in the win over the Hawks for New York, which used its reserves to turn a 13-point deficit into an eventual win.

The Knicks, who will host Miami on Sunday and Toronto on Tuesday, are just 12-19 at MSG this season. They are 1-1 on the current stand and fell to Denver, 108-96, on Monday in the opener.