James Dolan declared Monday that the Knicks must “absolutely” reach the NBA Finals. Then his team was absolutely embarrassed.

The Pistons (27-9), despite missing starters Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren, picked apart the New York Knicks in a 121-90 thrashing. The Knicks boast the fourth-best offensive rating (120.1) in the NBA but Detroit held them to a season low in scoring, further solidifying itself as the East’s best team on the second night of back-to-back games.

Today’s NBA slate features the New York Knicks facing off against Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons in this exciting NBA matchup. Kickoff takes place at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET (5 p.m. MST) on Monday, January 5, and the only way to watch is by streaming on Peacock.

Is toughness or skill more valuable? The Pistons emerged as an unlikely threat last season, pushing the Knicks to six games in the first round of the playoffs and having them on the ropes at

Cade Cunningham put on an MVP-caliber performance to lead the Detroit Pistons to a blowout win against the Knicks.

Cade Cunningham got a measure of revenge with 29 points and the Pistons shot 51.6% on 3s in routing the Knicks on Monday.

The Knicks stagger into a must-win matchup against their cross-bridge rival on Wednesday amid a skid of nine losses in their last 11 games.

New York's struggles are rooted in the defensive end of the floor. The Knicks are surrendering an average of 114.9 points per game, which would be their highest figure since 1979-80. They are also allowing opponents to shoot 37.5% from 3-point land, the fourth-highest percentage in the league, just behind the Nets (37.6%).

We're now halfway through the NBA season. It's time for our second Contender Tiers installment. There's been some movement since the first edition, with the Pistons, Spurs and Wolves climbing, the surprising Suns and Celtics continuing to impress,