Nets Favored vs. Pistons, Knicks Win vs. Pistons, Rangers Lose to Devils on 'Bad Bounce': The Sporting Line

Knicks Pummel Pistons

All season long the Knicks have had trouble taking care of bad teams at home. Last night was an exception. With Carmelo Anthony back on the court, the Knicks played maybe their most complete game of the year.

New York snapped a four game losing streak at home, defeating Detroit 113-86. The Knicks were in control the entire way, not trailing at any point.

Yesterday's Sporting Line said it would be important for the Knicks to capitalize on Piston mistakes. That's exactly what New York did. They forced 22 turnovers, turning those into 21 points. Landry Fields set the tone early with 5 steals in the first half.

The turnovers led to easy shots for the Knicks. As a result, they had one of their best shooting games of the season. New York finished the night 60 percent from the field and 9-18 from three point range.

Carmelo Anthony looked good for the first time in a while, finishing with 25 points. Melo didn't force many bad shots, like he has done in most games. The rest of the team followed his lead.

This was the Knicks' offense most people envisioned before the season. They had great ball movement, almost doubling the Pistons in assists. It's exactly the type of effort New York needs each night if they want to be meet preseason expectations.

Devils beat Rangers in Shootout

It was a back and forth game between two long time rivals. It was only fitting that this one was decided on the very last shot.

The Devils rallied to beat the Rangers in a shootout 4-3. New Jersey's David Clarkson tied the game in the final minute to send the game into overtime. The victory put the Devils at 9-2 in shootouts on the season.

Rangers' head coach John Tortorella blamed the loss on a bad bounce that allowed Clarkson to score the tying goal. The Devils may have gotten somewhat lucky, but they took advantage of their opportunities. That's the sign of a good team.

Tortorella made an interesting move before the game even started. He decided to sit Henrik Lundqvist in favor of Martin Biron. Biron made several impressive saves, but allowed the key goal in the third period to keep the Devils alive. He was bested by veteran Martin Brodeur who didn't allow a goal in the shootout.

This was one of the Devils best wins of the season. For the Rangers, it's a tough loss. That type of thing tends to happen when your best player is on the bench.

Nets vs. Pistons

Last night, the Knicks dominated the Pistons. Now the Nets get a crack at Detroit turn. New Jersey hosts Detroit in a battle of two of the league's worst teams.

This will be the Pistons' third game in three nights. It's something these players probably have never done before so that should be a big advantage for the Nets.

Expect this to be one of the sloppier games for either team this season. Detroit certainly won't be crisp with their recent schedule. The Nets have the league leader in turnovers in Deron Williams. With MarShon Brooks injured, he'll be asked to do even more. You can be sure that will lead to more mistakes.

There's a good chance this will be a low scoring affair. That's the type of game the Nets hope to play. They're 4-2 when holding their opponents to 90 points or less. New Jersey should be able to contain the most anemic offense in the NBA. That will be enough for a Nets' victory.

Nets 89, Pistons 81