DETROIT (AP) — Daniss Jenkins scored 18 points in his last game as a two-way player and the Detroit Pistons routed New York 118-80 on Friday night to end the Knicks' winning streak at eight games.
Jenkins was playing his 42nd game of the season, meaning he is no longer eligible for NBA games under his two-way contract. The Pistons must convert his deal to a full NBA contract to keep him. He's averaging 8.2 points and 3.3 assists in 16.8 minutes as a backup guard.
Click to Gallery
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) passes the ball against New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) and guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson (55) knocks the ball away from New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Pistons forward Paul Reed, left, lays up a shot against New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown gestures to an official after his team was whistled for a foul during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins (24) celebrates after scoring against the New York Knicks during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Jalen Duren (knee) missed the game for Detroit while the Knicks played without Karl-Anthony Towns (eye) and OG Anunoby (toe).
Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart each scored 15 points for the Pistons. They have won five straight regular-season games against New York, but lost to the Knicks in six games in the first round of last season's playoffs.
Mikal Bridges scored 19 points for New York. Jalen Brunson finished with 12 on 4-for-20 shooting that included 0 for 8 on 3-pointers. New York's 80 points were a season low, beating the 90 they scored in a 31-point loss to the Pistons on Jan. 5.
Detroit, playing a night after an ugly loss to Washington, dominated the first half on their way to a 63-42 lead. The Pistons, normally one of the worst 3-point-shooting teams in the league, went 10 of 18 (55.6%) while the Knicks only made 5 of 19 (26.3%). Brunson was 2 for 13 from the floor in the half.
New York had time to make a run in the third quarter, but Brunson went 2 for 7 and the Knicks only scored 18 points. Jenkins and Harris each had seven points as Detroit moved the margin to 90-60.
Knicks: At Boston on Sunday.
Pistons: At Charlotte on Monday night.
NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) passes the ball against New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) and guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson (55) knocks the ball away from New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Pistons forward Paul Reed, left, lays up a shot against New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown gestures to an official after his team was whistled for a foul during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins (24) celebrates after scoring against the New York Knicks during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
DENVER (AP) — Brent Burns took a wayward stick to the face while playing for San Jose in October 2013 that ended up costing him teeth and time on the ice.
Since his return — Nov. 21, 2013, to be precise — he's been a permanent fixture in every lineup. Burns, now 41 years old and with the Colorado Avalanche, is set to play in his 1,000th straight regular-season game Saturday at Dallas.
The bearded blueliner has skated through the bumps and bruises that come with delivering checks and deflecting slap shots. So much so that Avalanche coach Jared Bednar can’t wait to one day sit down with Burns and discuss all the ailments that may have kept many a player sidelined for days, weeks and maybe even months.
“He plays through them like it’s not a big deal,” said Bednar, whose team currently owns the NHL's top seed with eight games remaining, including the pivotal contest with the Stars (six points back). “(The streak) is an incredible accomplishment. It’s hard to believe.”
For Burns, it's a streak that's involved plenty of good fortune along the way.
“You've got pucks flying around your head that you don’t see, skates popping up, guys falling on the ice,” Burns said Friday after practice. "There are so many little things that happen 100 times a game. Or you look at your visor after a game, it’s all marked up. It’s a tough game.
"It’s special to think back about some of the games that I went through that I probably shouldn’t have been (in), but I think that’s what makes it special, too. ... A lot of luck — probably why I hate talking about it.”
Burns, who turned 41 on March 9, joined the Avalanche on a one-year deal this season to chase the only thing missing from his resume — a Stanley Cup title.
He's become another leader/mentor on the Avalanche. He still chips in goals, too, on a high-scoring team that boasts Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas. Burns has 11 tallies this season, joining Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom as the only defensemen in league history to notch double-digit goals at 40 or older.
But Burns' specialty remains putting his 6-foot-5, 228-pound frame to good use on opponents who venture into his territory. That’s what makes his streak so remarkable — all the punishment he dishes out and takes. He’s closing in on the all-time ironman streak held by forward Phil Kessel, who played in 1,064 consecutive regular-season games from Nov. 3, 2009, to April 13, 2023.
“What Phil did was incredible,” Burns said. “He’s such a cool character to have that (record), too."
It’s a streak Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog fully appreciates. Landeskog missed three full regular seasons after helping the Avalanche to the 2022 Stanley Cup title because of a lingering knee injury.
“He comes to the rink with a great attitude," Landeskog explained. "He wants to be here. He’s excited to come to work.”
Burns also arrives to the rink lugging around his military-style backpack that’s stuffed with everything necessary to keep him on skates. There’s a cloud of mystery surrounding the precise contents of the heavy pack, though. Whatever it may contain — rumors of recovery gear to his own coffee setup — there's no denying it's become a healing elixir. Burns is in his 22nd NHL season and about to play in his 1,572nd career contest Saturday. The 2016-17 Norris Trophy winner is still averaging nearly 19 minutes a game and has 83 blocked shots this season.
The streak certainly impresses goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
“In my position alone, you’ll do something one game and your hip locks up a little bit,” Wedgewood said. “It’s like, ‘Thank God, I’m not playing the next one. It feels like crap right now.’
“That happens 15 times a year, just on me, let alone taking body checks and slap shots. Playing as much as he does now at that age, keeping that body fresh and everything? He probably wouldn’t be the one to tell you, but he’s probably played through thousands of different nuances.”
Burns made his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 2003, with Minnesota after being a first-round pick by the Wild. He spent seven seasons with Minnesota, 11 in San Jose and three more in Carolina before joining Colorado.
His lone appearance in the Stanley Cup final was in 2016 with the Sharks, where they lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Burns has played in 135 career playoff contests.
His current games streak started Nov. 21, 2013 — he played right wing that season — when he returned from his injury and promptly scored a goal. In his 999th straight game Wednesday against Vancouver, he delivered a goal and an assist to become the fifth different defensemen to notch a 30-point season while in their 40s.
“It’s just ridiculous,” Makar said of the streak before suffering an upper-body injury Monday against Calgary that will keep him out a few games. “For him to be able to go out there every night and make an impact, and not just float around and do the minimum, is pretty spectacular, especially at his age.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome (17) passes the puck against Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (84) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, left, drives past Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (84) smiles at his teammates at the end of the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
