NEW YORK – This was the one game the Detroit Pistons wanted to play, though they didn’t really need to. At 44-17, they are the toast of the Central Division. But, make no mistake, they were still troubled by their last visit into the Garden.

On January 13, the Knicks whipped a tired Piston squad by 24 points. While that particular game was the high point of a brutal year in New York, it was also the low point of an otherwise chart-breaking season in Motown. Eight negative superlatives were set that afternoon.

There would be none of that on Friday night. Tayshaun Prince tallied 28 points and seven boards, including a floater over Eddy Curry with 9.9 seconds to play, as Detroit withstood Rip Hamilton’s second quarter ejection and Rasheed Wallace’s sprained left ankle to win, 101-97, before a sellout crowd.

Though the Pistons have won 11 of their last 14 against New York, they had lost three of four here.

The Knicks have now lost 16 of their last 20. Only the futile Miami Heat prevent the New York from owning the Eastern Conference cellar.

Prince, who more than doubled his season average, was particularly efficient in the second half, with 18 points; he made all eight of his free throws over the final two quarters.

Hamilton had hit three of eight shots for six points before he received a double technical, and automatic ejection, with :43 seconds remaining in the first half, while Wallace’s injury merely prevented him from playing.

“Whenever anyone is out of the line-up,” said the soft-spoken Prince, “we just have to more aggressive, and make plays on the offensive end.”

Curry led the Knicks with 23 points, but had only five in the second half. Jamal Crawford, averaging 25.4 points along with 5.7 assists over his last seven games, finished with 17. Fred Jones played well, with 16 points in an even 30 minutes of action. David Lee recorded his ninth double-double [15 boards/12 assists] of the season, and Malik Rose added nine points in just over eight minutes.

New York’s Zach Randolph, who had missed the previous three games with a bruised right foot, was in Indiana for a family emergency. He is expected to rejoin his team in Dallas on March 10.

To inject more offense in the line-up, Flip Saunders called on Rodney Stuckey, a rookie guard, and Jason Maxiell, a second-year forward. The pair combined for 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting, and offered Detroit viable options when the game was in the balance.

“The game was going to be tough no matter what,” offered Saunders, with a sigh of relief. “Our bench was great. They came in, and did some real positive things. This was our third of four games, and we were shorthanded already without Rasheed. We just had to keep our composure.”

The Knicks led just once, 66-65, after intermission, and were down nine on several occasions. An 8-2 run reduced the deficit to 99-97. Then, the more composed Pistons gave the ball to Prince, who penetrated the lane for the clincher. Chauncey Billups [12 points, five rebounds, and five assists] followed with two free throws for close out the scoring.

At 40-30, Detroit appeared to have the game in hand 4:17 into the second quarter. But, to New York’s credit, they did not fold. They stayed with the Pistons at 51-41, then forged a comeback, with a balanced attack, just before intermission.

Curry accepted Crawford’s interior pass for an easy jam. Then, Crawford hit a reverse lay-up on a fast break. Lee hit another lay-up, and Wilson Chandler, in his second start of the season, dunked to finish another break. Finally, Nate Robinson scored on a drive with 1.2 seconds on the clock to knot the contest at 53.

The greatest challenge in covering the 2007-08 Knicks is to write a fresh story. Losing has become stale, and the Stephon Marbury-Isiah Thomas saga is played out, if only because much of what has been written has been speculative, or confirmed only through an anonymous source. Marbury is not commenting. Thomas is not commenting. And, neither is James Dolan, who signs both of their paychecks. That part of life is at a standstill.

Which leaves just the basketball aspect of the story.

The Hornets’ Chris Paul [27 points/eight assists/five rebounds/three steals] and Cleveland’s LeBron James [50 points/10 assists/eight rebounds] had already set the bar high. It remained to be seen if any of the Pistons could follow suit. Hamilton, the last New York opponent to score 50 before James rained four three-pointers in the final three minutes to secure Wednesday’s victory, had knocked home a career-high 51 points during Detroit’s 151-145 triple-overtime loss two years ago.

Still, there is no time for the Knicks to rest. The league has arranged back-to-back home games for them, which is a first since December 2003. The Trail Blazers’ are in on Saturday, and Brandon Roy –last season’s Rookie of the Year- is another player to watch carefully.

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