Good things happened when Blake Griffin headed to the basket. That allowed the Detroit Pistons to roll to another victory.
Griffin didn't make a 3-point shot but he still delivered another All-Star caliber performance in the Pistons' 115-108 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday. He scored 30 points as the Pistons won their third straight — all at home — and seventh in their last nine games.
Griffin scored 13 third-quarter points and fouled out rookie Mitchell Robinson before the quarter ended. He has reached the 30-point mark six times this season.
Reggie Jackson added 21 points, all in the first half.
Johnson provides another spark
Stanley Johnson and Langston Galloway have carried the second unit in recent games and that trend continued in the first half.
Johnson had nine points, three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 12 first-half minutes. He finished with 21 points, the sixth time he has notched double digits in his last nine games.
Johnson entered late in the first quarter and made an immediate impact. He drained a 3 with the shot clock winding down, then made a transition scoop shot.
He had another transition layup early in the second quarter and set up Zaza Pachulia for a three-point play.
Johnson knocked down a corner 3 in the final minute of the third quarter after the Knicks crept within six points. He drove in and converted a pair of conventional three-point plays early in the fourth when the Pistons reestablished a double-digit advantage.
In the final minute, Johnson soared on a Knicks fast break to swat an Allonzo Trier layup try.
Galloway also had nine points by halftime, including a 3-pointer and a conventional three-point play.
Drummond can't shake free throw woes
Andre Drummond had a quiet night offensively, as he scored six points, all in the second half. His free throw issues also continued.
Coach Dwane Casey had to take out Drummond during crunch time in the Pistons' 118-107 win over Phoenix on Sunday. The Suns intentionally fouled Drummond while trying to stage a fourth-quarter rally and Drummond missed five of six free throw attempts.
Drummond worked on his foul shooting immediately after the game and was spotted practicing them shortly before Tuesday's game. It didn't matter, as he missed all four of his attempts in the first half.
He didn't have any luck from the field, either. His half of futility was capped by blown dunk when the ball slipped from his grasp.
Drummond finally got on the board with a layup early in the third.
Hardaway, Burke can't find the range
Former Wolverines Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke had a rough shooting nights for the Knicks.
Hardaway, the starting shooting guard, had 19 points but shot 5-for-15 from the field. He also bumped heads with center Enes Kanter when Kanter was setting a screen for him early in the third. Hardaway kept shaking the cobwebs out of his head the next few possessions but didn't need to come out of the game.
Burke, the backup point guard, shot 1-for-8 from the field and scored six points.
