NBA: Jalen Brunson, Knicks hand Pistons 16th straight loss

Jalen Brunson scored 42 points, Julius Randle finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and the New York Knicks recovered after giving up a 16-point lead to hand the visiting Detroit Pistons their 16th consecutive loss 118-112 Thursday.

Detroit came to New York for the second leg of a back-to-back after a 133-107 rout Wednesday to the Los Angeles Lakers. Extending the franchise's longest single-season skid looked likely in the first half when the Knicks jumped to a 35-19 lead early in the second quarter.

However, the Pistons rallied to score 35 points in less than 10 minutes and forge a 54-54 tie at intermission. Cade Cunningham capped an 18-point first half, part of his team-high 31 points, with a late 3-pointer. Detroit shot 60.9 percent from the field in the second quarter and knocked down eight of 14 3-point shots (57.1 percent).

The furious, second-quarter comeback carried over into a hotly contested second half. Detroit took the lead on a few occasions, while New York's advantage remained less than five points for much of the half.

Detroit took its final lead with 9:45 remaining in regulation when Ausar Thompson, previously scoreless, made a 3-pointer that put the Pistons ahead 93-91. New York answered with an 8-0 run and Detroit endured a nearly three-minute scoreless drought that gave the Knicks the lead for good.

A 6-1 spurt down the stretch, with Brunson and Randle accounting for all six Knicks points, gave New York a nine-point advantage and sealed the win.

RJ Barrett scored 15 points in the win despite a 1-of-6 shooting performance from 3-point range. Donte DiVincenzo scored all 12 of his points off the bench on 4-of-8 3-point shooting, complementing Brunson's 7-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc. Brunson also dished out eight assists.

Cunningham shot 4 of 9 from 3-point range, while Marcus Sasser added 17 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting on 3s. Killian Hayes scored 23 points and Jalen Duren recorded a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. — Field Level Media/Reuters