We already said it in the pre-game preview. Be careful with Malik Beasley and his streaks. And said and done. The Pistons’ veteran guard beat the Knicks with back-to-back three-pointers with 42 seconds left in the game.

New York focused on Cunningham in the final moments but forgot about Beasley, who shot entirely on his own and narrowly won 124-119.

The Pistons are already a reality, having won 7 of their last 8 meetings and 10 of their last 12.

The aforementioned Beasley finished the game with 22 points on 6/8 three-pointers in just 18 minutes of play. Maximum efficiency for him.

“We’re losing games that I don’t think we should be losing,” an angry Josh Hart said in the locker room.

“We need to start sorting things out. We’re halfway through the season. But if we want to be the team we want to be at the end of the season, we have to start putting things in order now,” he said.

Hart’s comments make it seem like another crisis is brewing for the Knicks, but the reality is very different. They sit third in the East with a record of 26-15, which is Thibodeau’s best record ever at this point in the season.

Last year they had a 24-17 record. In 2022-23 a record of 22-19 and in 2021-22 a negative record of 20-21.

Last night they scored 119 points and shot fairly efficiently: 50% on field goals and 40% on threes.

But it wasn’t enough as they struggled defensively. Their offense is currently the second most efficient in the league, but their defense ranks 15th. An unusual problem for a team coached by Thibodeau.

“We definitely need to get better,” concluded Josh Hart.

More highlights

Pistons: Cade Cunningham only scored 7 points in the first half due to foul trouble. But he exploded in the second with 29 points, 18 of them in the third quarter alone.

The star point guard finished with a 14/27 shooting performance, including a 4/8 three-point shooting performance.

Curtsy: Jalen Brunson had 31 points and 11 assists, KAT had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Hart added 12 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists.

(Cover photo: Imagn Images)