Carmelo Anthony scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half, and the Knicks' scorching first half of shooting overall helped the New York build a big lead early against the Detroit Pistons to come away with a 102-87 victory in London on Thursday.
NBA London Live 2013 final score: New York Knicks roll past Detroit Pistons
The New York Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons behind a hot-shooting first half.
Jamie McDonald
New York jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the first quarter, and the Knicks led 29-17 after it thanks to hot three-point shooting and Anthony’s 11 early points.
Anthony also got beefy contributions from Amare Stoudemire and J.R. Smith off the bench. Stoudemire scored 17 -- 11 of which came from the foul stripe -- and Smith added 16.
Detroit's Brandon Knight struggled with a point and an assist in 18 minutes, and so did combo guard Rodney Stuckey, who could only muster six points. Fellow guard Will Bynum took advantage with 22 to lead Detroit in scoring.
Leading 56-41 at the half, the Knicks hit 50 percent of their shots, while the Pistons struggled at 41 percent from the floor. The second-half numbers dipped as the Pistons beat the Knicks up in the paint, outscoring them 44-22 inside for the game, but New York held off a third-quarter run from Detroit.
The Pistons made a run in the second half as New York’s perimeter-oriented offense began to struggle from the field.
The Knicks, who had led by as many as 20, found themselves ahead just 67-63 with 2:23 left in the third quarter, but New York responded with a 16-5 run over the next seven minutes.
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