Pistons put 40-point beatdown on Giddey's Bulls

• Both teams featuring Australians, Chicago and Indiana, lost on February 12
• Josh Giddey recorded 11 points, six rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes forthe Bulls
• Johnny Furphy grabbed five rebounds in 3:22 for the Pacers

Australian guard Josh Giddey couldn't stop the Detroit Pistons from running rampant against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, recording a 132-92 win with first time All-Star Cade Cunningham leading the way.

Cunningham's 20-point performance led a balanced Pistons attack, which saw seven players score in double figures, while Giddey was arguably Chicago's best with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes.

The Pistons dominated from the opening tip, racing out to a 34-18 lead after the first quarter before their onslaught continued in the second period, outscoring Chicago 37-11 to take a commanding 71-29 halftime lead.

Detroit sharpshooter Malik Beasley drained a three-pointer with 3:42 left in the second quarter to extend the visitor's lead to 40 points - the shot epitomised the Pistons' hot shooting night and effectively put the game out of reach before halftime. Chicago showed signs of life in the third quarter, but Detroit matched their 30-point output to maintain their advantage.

Cunningham orchestrated the Pistons' offence, contributing 20 points on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting, including a perfect 6-of-6 from inside the arc and his seven assists and six rebounds showcased his all-around impact, while Beasley provided a spark off the bench with a 7-of-10 performance from three-point range, finishing with 24 points in just 16 minutes.

Detroit was red-hot from the field all night, shooting 53.1% (51-of-96) and 43.9% from beyond the arc (18-of-41), with their ball movement proving too much for the Bulls' defence, generating 30 assists on 51 made field goals. Defensively, the Pistons suffocated the Bulls, holding them to just 35% shooting (35-of-100) and a dismal 21.3% from three-point range (10-of-47).

The victory bolstered Detroit's playoff aspirations, improving their record to 29-26 and solidifying their hold on the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, while the loss dropped Chicago to 22-32 as they remain in 10th place just 1.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers.

New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers

Aussie rookie Johnny Furphy hit the court for the Indiana Pacers, who were dominated by the Eastern Conference's third-ranked team the New York Knicks 128-115 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Furphy played 3:22 and grabbed five rebounds and dished out one assist for Indiana but it was Karl Anthony-Towns who stole the show for the Knicks with 40 points and 12 rebounds to continue his career-best form after being traded from Minnesota. Josh Hart also had a rare scoring night with 30 points for New York.

All-Star Pascal Siakam was the standout for the Pacers with 24 points as Indiana lost their second consecutive game.