Donte DiVincenzo could add the Knicks’ single-game record to his eventual single-season record.
The sharp-shooting guard set a franchise record with 11 3-pointers and scored a career-high 40 points in a hilarious 124-99 victory over the Pistons.
DiVincenzo, who surpassed the 10 treys made by New York’s Evan Fournier and J.R. Smith, hit a record-breaking shot past former teammate Malachi Flynn with 3:16 left.
Fournier, now with the Pistons, also tried to guard DiVincenzo, doing a better job than most, but he couldn’t stop the record-breaking.
DiVincenzo also had a big impact on the Knicks’ pursuit of a single-season record, making 11 of 20 3-pointers in 41 minutes.
With 11 games remaining, he is just eight treys behind Fournier.
If there is no injury, it will be in the bag.
And so was Monday’s game.
It was over before tipoff.
The Knicks are a real NBA team competing for playoff position with a solid defense.
The Pistons were unscrupulous and only existed to maximize their draft lottery picks on Monday.
The worst team in the league would have lost at full strength anyway, and was instead crushed while putting together a lineup that could have been eliminated in the G League semifinals.
Detroit’s starters included Tosan Ebbuomwan, an undrafted Princeton product who had played in 11 career games through Monday.
The other starter, James Wiseman, is probably the biggest draft bust in the last five or six years, maybe even longer.
Cade Cunningham, the Pistons’ Most Valuable Player, did not play.
So did Buddy Boeheim, the son of the former Syracuse coach.
And, as expected, the Knicks took a 29-8 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
DiVincenzo put on a shooting clinic, giving the Pistons plenty of open looks before realizing they should probably stick to the 3-point line.
Jalen Brunson added 28 points and sliced through Detroit’s overwhelmed defense.
Josh Hart recorded his sixth triple-double since January, grabbing 14 boards, 10 assists and scoring 11 points.
It was a Villanova show.
And the Pistons (12-60), who have lost seven straight, were no-shows.
They shot just 38.6 percent and gave up 46 points in the paint. Additionally, the Knicks had 19 pointers, most of which came from DiVincenzo.
