Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.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. Nick Leddy Islanders Jersey . TSNs Farhan Lalji reports the Edmonton Eskimos non-import DT has a workout scheduled with an NFL team next week and isnt expected to sign a deal with any team until then. Johnny Boychuk Islanders Jersey . The fourth-year guard from Carleton University kicked off his varsity career with rookie of the year honours in 2011, before racking up three straight Mike Moser Memorial Trophies for outstanding player. http://www.islanderssale.com/authentic-thomas-greiss-islanders-jersey/ . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Ryan Pulock Islanders Jersey . The Hockey Canada Foundation is donating $50,000, with Hockey Quebec contributing $15,000. Hockey Canada also announced it will hold a skills camp for all levels of minor hockey in Lac-Mégantic during the 2013-14 season. Representatives from Hockey Canada, the Hockey Canada Foundation and Hockey Quebec were on hand Tuesday night at a meeting of the AHM de Lac-Mégantic to make the announcement and presentation. Brock Nelson Jersey . -- Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was admitted to the hospital Friday for observation due to minor complications from cancer treatments, his family said.Elmont, NY - Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome was taken to school Thursday at Belmont Park as the chestnut colt became familiar with the tracks paddock. "We dont do a lot of schooling in the afternoon, hardly at all," said Alan Sherman, who assists his father, trainer Art Sherman. "We always school in the morning. Its just something we do. Whether its right or wrong, I dont know. Its just the way we do it. "I just dont like to interrupt his feeding, his dinner. Id just as soon in the morning. Well do it a couple more times throughout the week." Owned by Steven Coburn and Perry Martin, the 3-year-old arrived at Belmonts paddock a little after 6 a.m. ET. He walked around for a while and then spent about five minutes standing in a stall where horses are saddled. California Chrome, who again will be ridden by Victor Espinnoza in the Belmont Stakes, put in another two-mile gallop.dddddddddddd. "He pretty much goes at his own pace," said Alan Sherman. "Like, you see him the first time around, hes real easy, and then he hits the half-mile pole and starts to pull on (exercise rider) Willie (Delgado) pretty good. Today he was pulling on him a little more than usual." The chestnut colt will have his Saturday workout at 6:30 a.m. and Friday morning he will school at the starting gate. California Chrome is likely to face nine challengers in the Belmont Stakes on June 7 with the possibility of 10. Expected to take on the Triple Crown contender are Derby runner-up Commanding Curve, Commissioner, Matterhorn, Matuszak, Medal Count, Ride On Curlin, Samraat, Tonalist and Wicked Strong. Kid Cruz is listed as possible by Belmont Park stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes. ' ' '