Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork. Cheap Nike Free Ireland .com) - Greg Monroe racked up 23 points and 18 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons held off the New York Knicks down the stretch for a 98-95 victory, their first of the Stan Van Gundy era. Monroes monster performance and a 20-point effort out of Kentavious Caldwell- Pope got Detroit in the win column after opening Van Gundys first season as head coach with three straight losses. We made it a little tougher than it had to be, but definitely happy to get the win, Monroe said. The Pistons dominated the glass, outrebounding the Knicks by a 55-43 margin and recording 19 second-chance points, and went 11-of-23 from 3-point range in addition to playing lockdown defense on Carmelo Anthony for much of the night. Andre Drummond added 13 rebounds and Josh Smith had 10. Smith finished a rough 2-of-17 from the field but shined on the other end, leading an effort that held Anthony without a basket in the first half and a 5-of-21 shooting performance for the game. I thought early on he was trying to do the right thing and not look to attack too early, make sure everybody was involved and I think that made it a little harder for him to find his rhythm, Knicks head coach Derek Fisher said about Anthony. Anthony got on track late to end with 13 points, and New York cut a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit down to two before ultimately being dealt a second loss in as many nights. Tim Hardaway Jr. paced the Knicks with 20 points while filling the sixth-man role of J.R. Smith, suspended for the game for striking Washingtons Glen Rice Jr. in the groin on Tuesday. Jason Smith contributed 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting for New York, which received 15 points each from Iman Shumpert and Amare Stoudemire. The Pistons built a 49-37 lead at halftime behind their prowess on the boards and Anthonys struggles, then extended the margin to as high as 18 points in the third quarter after Jonas Jerebko buried a triple following a Monroe tip- in to make the score 72-54 with under two minutes left in the period. Detroit remained on cruise control for much of the fourth quarter, owning an 89-74 advantage with less than five minutes left before the Knicks came storming back. Stoudemire scored the first seven points of a 12-2 run capped by Hardaways layup off a turnover that trimmed the lead to 91-86 with 2:08 to go. It was a 97-94 game when Hardaway drained a long three with 7.3 seconds to play, and Caldwell-Pope missed twice from the line on the ensuing possession to give New York a chance at a tie. Shumpert was fouled before getting off a shot, however, and made just 1-of-2 from the stripe to bring the Knicks within two. His desperation 3-point try from well beyond half-court was well off the mark at the buzzer, and came after Brandon Jennings hit 1-of-2 foul shots for the final score. An 8-0 run spurred by the bench enabled the Pistons to gain separation early in the second quarter. D.J. Augustin began the surge with five straight points and Jerebko capped it with a long-range triple to put Detroit up 35-24 four minutes into the period. The Pistons were up by as many as 15 in the first half and maintained a double-digit cushion for the majority of the second quarter. Anthonys first basket after nine straight misses, which came just over three minutes into the second half, brought the Knicks within 53-44. However, Detroit countered with a 9-2 flurry that featured one of Caldwell-Popes four makes from long distance and ended on Drummonds putback dunk, which gave the Pistons a commanding 62-46 lead nearing the midway mark of the third quarter. Game Notes Monroe had 18 points and 11 rebounds in his season debut Saturday against Brooklyn, having served a two-game suspension for a DUI arrest to begin the campaign ... Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni did not return after spraining his right ankle early in the second quarter ... The Pistons entered the game last in the NBA in 3-point percentage (21.9 percent) ... Hardaways father, Tim Sr., currently serves as a Pistons assistant under Van Gundy ... Anthony was coming off an 8-of-23 shooting effort in Tuesdays loss to Washington ... Augustin and Jennings each finished with 12 points. Discount Nike Free Ireland . After just two league games in June, Toronto (6-4-1) will go on to play seven in July plus a friendly against Tottenham. Five of those contests are against Eastern Conference opposition, meaning valuable points in the playoff race are on the line. Cheap Nike Free Ireland Wholesale . The Tiger-Cats announced on Friday the linebacker has signed a new contract with the team through the 2016 season. http://www.cheapnikefreeireland.com/ .com) - Stephen Currys jumper with 3. LOS ANGELES -- There was no warm welcome back. No video montage of highlights that brought back the good old days. That didnt keep Dwight Howard from thoroughly enjoying his first road game against the team he left as a free agent after one tumultuous season. Howard had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Houston Rockets in 134-108 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night that extended the Rockets winning streak to eight games. "Were always going to have fun when were playing basketball. We love what were doing," Howard said. "Were playing great, and we just want to have as much fun as possible." The streak is Houstons longest since a franchise-record, 22-game run in 2007-08 under Rick Adelman. James Harden scored 11 of his 29 points in the final 1:25 of the third quarter and added 11 assists. Wesley Johnson scored 24 points for Los Angeles, and Kendall Marshall had 20 points and 16 assists. The injury-ravaged Lakers remained tied for last place in the Western Conference with Sacramento at 18-36. "The Lakers have always found a way to get back to the top, and they will one day. But I cant focus on the Lakers," Howard said. "My focus is on the Rockets and what were trying to accomplish." It was Howards third game against the Lakers since leaving the organization to sign a four-year, $88 million contract with the Rockets in July. Los Angeles offered the eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year a five-year, $118 million deal to stay. "Hes having a great year there, but I felt he did the same thing here," Lakers guard Jodie Meeks said. "The numbers are almost identical. He had a pretty good year last year -- and for whatever reason, some people didnt think so." Howard played 76 games last season, averaging 17.1 points and a league-best 12.4 rebounds despite residual pain from back surgery -- compounded by a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Howards only season in Tinseltown ended with a whimper -- a four-game sweep by San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs, when he was ejected from what would turn out to be his final game as a Laker for protesting a non-call. The sellout crowd booed Howard every time he touched the ball. It began during warm-ups about 45 minutes before the game, after a few of his ex-teammates came over to say hello at midcourt. Nike Free Ireland Online. . The fans then drowned out public address announcer Lawrence Tanter before he could get Howards name out of his mouth during the introductions. Howard received a technical foul just 78 seconds into the game after dunking on Chris Kaman. "I think it was more emotion than anything," Howard said. "I dont know if the ref thought I was talking to Kaman, but one of my friends was sitting courtside and I was just looking at him and having some fun. It wasnt nothing toward the Lakers or any of their guys. I was just talking trash to one of my friends." Less than 90 minutes before tipoff, the Lakers dealt guard Steve Blake to the Golden State Warriors for reserve guards Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks. Coach Mike DAntoni was still talking about Blake in the present tense during his pregame session with reporters before the deal was consummated, and the trade left him with only eight players in uniform and his 28th different starting lineup due to injuries to Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, Xavier Henry and Nick Young. Jordan Farmar returned to the lineup after missing four games because of a sore hamstring, and Meeks was back in action after sitting out five games with a sprained right ankle. Harden helped the Rockets build a 64-43 halftime lead with 15 points in the first game for both teams following the All-Star break. Howard added 14 points and 10 rebounds -- the 10th time this season that he had a double-double by halftime. NOTES: The Rockets were 18 for 35 on free throws, after attempting more than 50 in each of the previous two meetings. ... Bryant hasnt played in any of the games against Houston since he and Howard became ex-teammates. In fact, hes played in only six games altogether. The season series concludes on April 8 at Los Angeles. ... The Lakers have lost seven games by margins of at least 20 or more points. ... Harden scored at least 30 points in each of his previous four games against the Lakers. ... The Rockets began a five-game road trip that will end right back here at Staples Center against the Clippers. 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