Daniss Jenkins shows why he's getting full deal in Pistons' rout

After suffering arguably their worst loss of the season, to the Washington Wizards on Thursday, Feb. 5, the Detroit Pistons followed with a dominant win over the New York Knicks on Friday.

They defeated the Knicks, 118-80, at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons led by as many as 43 points in a commanding performance, while holding the Knicks to 35.8% shooting, the fourth-worst percentage of any Pistons opponent this season, and limiting playoff villain Jalen Brunson to just 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting.

The Pistons were led by Daniss Jenkins (18 points), Tobias Harris (15 points, six rebounds) and Isaiah Stewart (15 points) and shot 53% as a team. Cade Cunningham finished with 11 points and seven assists in just 21 minutes due to foul trouble and a healthy lead.

They were without Jalen Duren, who exited Thursday’s loss to the Wizards with right knee soreness.

The Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Deuce McBride.

Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins celebrates a 3-pointer against the New York Knicks during the second half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, February 6, 2026.

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The Pistons (38-13) kept their sizable lead in the Eastern Conference with Friday’s win, keeping pace at 4½ games ahead of the Boston Celtics, who also won Friday, and moving to 5½ games ahead of the Knicks. The Pistons are now 7½ up on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division. Next up, the Pistons hit the road for a game against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit).

Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland lock down Jalen Brunson

Thompson already was dominating the game before he scored his first bucket — a fastbreak dunk midway toward the end of the second quarter that, fittingly, came after he had a strong contest on a corner 3-point attempt from Brunson.

The third-year wing appears to have learned a lot from his six playoff games against Brunson last spring. He mirrored the All-Star’s every move and made him work for every shot, becoming the primary reason Brunson had just five points at halftime, on 2-for-13 shooting.

Thompson hounded New York’s wings as well. Midway through the second period, he rotated as Landry Shamet squared up for a corner 3-pointer, rejecting the shot with his left hand. Late in the quarter, he chased down a fastbreak layup attempt by Josh Hart and swatted the attempt out of bounds.

Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson (9) defends New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the first half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, February 6, 2026.

Holland was able to approximate Thompson’s defensive job on Brunson, similarly mimicking his moves and denying him space. They led an all-around dominant defensive night against a shorthanded Knicks team, which was the seventh team this season to shoot worse than 40% against the Pistons.

Daniss Jenkins shows why his promotion is coming

Friday was Jenkins’ 50th and final game of eligibility on his two-way contract. When president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon was asked about it during his a pregame press conference, he assured folks that the goal is to sign Jenkins to a standard deal before their next game Monday.

“Kudos to him,” Langdon said. “He’s worked his butt off.”

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