Pistons run victory streak to eight

"I’ve been shooting it well," Prince said. "Obviously, I won’t shoot as many as I did tonight. But of course, I had it going so that’s why I shot that many."

After a sluggish 3-5 start to their 2006-07 campaign, the Pistons have ripped off eight consecutive victories to move to the top of the Central Division standings.

The matchup also marked the return to Detroit for Knicks’ head coach Isiah Thomas, who put together a legendary 13-year playing career with the Pistons.

Richard Hamilton scored 26 points for the Pistons, who won their fifth straight at home. Chauncey Billups scored 22 points and had a season-high 16 assists. Rasheed Wallace added 15 rebounds.

Eddy Curry tied his season high with 24 points for the Knicks, who have lost three of four. Jamal Crawford scored 18 points off the bench, and Stephon Marbury added 13.

Detroit closed the first quarter on an 18-8 run ignited by a Prince jumper with 5:12 remaining, and led 29-25 heading into the second.

The Pistons went on a 16-6 spurt down the stretch of the second quarter, sparked by a Billups runner with 3:03 left to take a 56-49 lead into halftime.

Detroit outscored New York by five points in the third to take an 84-72 lead into the final period.

New York woke up in the fourth and opened the stanza on a 12-2 run capped by a pair of Kelvin Cato free throws with 5:06 remaining to cut its deficit to 86-83. The Pistons regained control down the stretch to hold on for the win.

Prince came through with a three-pointer and Antonio McDyess’ free throw pushed the advantage to 90-83 with 4:12 remaining. The Knicks never got closer than five after that.

"They’re a championship team," Thomas said. "They have guys that have been to the Finals two of the last three years. They know how to do it, they know when to turn it on."

Game Notes

Detroit shot 11-for-22 (50 percent) beyond the arc and 38-for-79 (48.1 percent) from the field, which compensated for being outrebounded 48-38...The Knicks haven’t had any recent success at the Palace, having lost nine straight in Detroit. New York’s last victory in the Motor City area came on March 27, 2002...The Pistons have also taken eight of the last nine overall meetings.