Vince Ellis | Detroit Free Press

Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press

Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK — As the New York Knicks lead kept growing Saturday night, the Detroit Pistons’ reminders of previous road horrors were ever present.

Reminders like last season’s 13-28 road record, which tied for 10th worst in the Eastern Conference.

Another reminder like the 1-7 record over the last two seasons in road games against the league’s New York-area teams, a stretch where the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets weren’t exactly dominating.

But these Pistons took a step toward exorcising their Gotham demons.

A night after a nail-biting loss at Washington, the Pistons trailed by 21 points in the second quarter Saturday night before roaring back for a thrilling 111-107 victory over the Knicks (0-2) in their home opener.

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Detroit Pistons 111, New York Knicks 107

Tobias Harris scored a team high 31 points and his short jumper against Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis with 45.3 seconds left gave the Pistons (2-1) a 107-104 lead.

“All throughout last year, we weren’t a good team on the road,” Harris said in a happy Madison Square Garden visitors’ locker room.

“It’s been a big emphasis for us, being able to grind out games on the road and not give up. We were able to fight them off and a get a win tonight.”

Harris (13-for-24 from the field and 22 second-half points) and Reggie Jackson (16 points, seven assists) carried the Pistons offensively down the stretch with a heavy dose of duo exploiting Porzingis in pick-and-roll situations.

“They both were going well and we were trying to go at (Porzingis),” Van Gundy said. “(He) kills you at one end and for some reason they were playing him on Tobias, I don’t know why, but they were, so we went at that pick-and-roll.”

Jackson has been very good one season removed from last season’s version when he struggled with left knee tendinitis. The Pistons were fine when he was on the floor, as he finished at plus-14.

His three-point play on a short floater with 1:41 left gave the Pistons a 105-102 lead -- a lead they would never relinquish.

The unsung hero was Anthony Tolliver, who did not play the first two games.

Porzingis (game-high 33 points) was 7-for-10 in the first half. He was 3-for-10 in the second half, while being guarded mostly by Tolliver. He entered the game in the second quarter with the mission to cool off Porzingis. It was mission accomplished, and he added three triples.

Still, the Knicks had a chance to get closer when Porzingis got free moving toward the basket after the Harris bucket.

But Andre Drummond swatted the shot away and controlled the rebound to conclude a dominant 21-point, 13-rebound night.

Jackson (16 points, seven assists) was a perfect 4-for-4 at the line in the last 10 seconds to keep the Knicks winless at 0-2.

Perfect Andre: Drummond was perfect at the line, going 3-for-3.

One of the worst free-throw shooters in league history has made his first six free throws of the season with a completely revamped form.

He’s been so good, that Van Gundy is getting serious about considering letting him take a technical free throw.

The assistant coaches were urging just that after a defensive three-second call in the fourth quarter and Jackson wasn’t on the floor.

Van Gundy is to the point where he is daring opposing coaches to deploy the tactic of intentionally fouling Drummond.

“The sample’s small, but you can watch him shoot the free throws and it’s for real,” Van Gundy said. “I’m actually hoping someone grabs him. I’m dead serious. I probably got a little farther to go, but when we had the illegal defense and we didn’t have Reggie on the floor there, my assistants wanted Andre to shoot the free throw.

“I got to have a little more of a sample size probably to go to that point, but it was interesting because that’s truly what the assistants wanted to go with.”