The New York Knicks will play their final game of the year against the Detroit Pistons. New York is currently on a four game losing streak. Their last and most recent loss came against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night where they shot 37 percent from the floor. Detroit is also coming off a loss to Boston in their last contest at home.

The Projected starting lineups are

New York 

PG: Jose Calderon, SG: Arron Afflalo, SF: Carmelo Anthony, PF: Kristaps Porzingis, C: Robin Lopez    

Detroit

PG: Reggie Jackson, SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF: Marcus Morris, PF: Ersan Ilyasova, C: Andre Drummond

Keys to the Game

Detroit's Offense and Defense

-The Pistons average scoring 101 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the field.  

-They allow their opponents to score 100 points per contest and shoot 45 percent from the floor. "I feel like we’ve lost our identity a little bit," said Andre Drummond in an interview with Fox Sports. "Now that our shots are falling a little bit more, we’ve taken a step back defensively and it starts with me. I feel like I haven’t been staying on the guys about different things defensively and I’ve got to be better, as well, being the anchor."  

New York’s Offense and Defense

-The Knickerbockers offensive numbers are slightly lower than those of Detroit, as the Knicks average 98 points per game on 43 percent shooting. During this four-game losing streak however, they're managing merely 93 points per game.

-Their defense has been impressive allowing their opponents to shoot 31 percent from the the 3-point arc.

-Despite their recent struggles, Carmelo Anthony has remained optimistic. "We have a positive attitude, we’ve just gotta figure out a way to win basketball games," said Anthony to Fox Sports. "The attitude is not going anywhere. I won’t allow that."

Kristaps Porzingis Struggles Continue to Haunt Him

-Porzingis shot 4-13 in the game against Boston while receiving a knee to the groin twice. "Yeah, I’m getting a lot of looks and the teammates, they’re giving me the ball, they’re trusting my shots," he told the New York Daily News. "They know I can make those shots. I’m just not making them. But I can feel it's right there. It’s just in and out or a little long, little too short. It’s frustrating is what it is."

Andre Drummond's Breakout Season

-Drummond is averaging a career high of 18 points to go along with 16 boards per game. He leads his team in the rebounding department and is second in scoring behind Reggie Jackson.

-On Saturday night, he recorded his fifth 20-20 game of the season with 22 points and 22 boards.

-In the early All-Star voting sheet released Friday, the UConn product ranked third among all frontcourt players with 148,278 votes. Drummond is currently ahead of Anthony by 16,000 votes and when asked about the subject by the New York Post, Anthony said "He’s having a helluva year. You can’t take that away from him. Nothing against him."

Gametime

Tip-off will come shortly after 7:30 P.M. EST.