The New York Knicks picked up their first win of the season, a 111-97 victory over the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden, and handed the conference-leading Pistons their first loss of the season. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson compared the team’s approach to a baseball game he had watched from his locker, which had been playing during the Knicks’ 0-3 start.
“Just continue to hit singles,” Brunson said. “Just get on base and hit singles and focus on little things until we get our rhythm.”
The win eased the semipanic surrounding the defending NBA champions, at least for a night. Although it lacked style, it reversed several troubling trends.
Turning the Tide Against Detroit
The victory broke the Pistons’ recent dominance over New York. Detroit won all three meetings between the teams last season by an average of 30 points. The Knicks had also struggled in the second half, getting outscored by 26 points over the first three games.
New York blitzed Detroit in the middle two quarters, outscoring the Pistons 63-25. During that stretch, the Knicks looked like the team that made noise in the playoffs. Mikal Bridges also woke up after failing to make a 3-pointer in the first three games, hitting four of them against Detroit.
Towns Answers the Challenge
Karl-Anthony Towns once again played to his personal standard. Brown challenged him at halftime to do a better job defending Pistons center Paul Reed, who had moved into a bigger role after All-Star center Jalen Duren was injured. Reed was a constant presence early, helping Detroit build a 15-point lead.
“I told him the truth, ‘KAT, the guy is killing us on the glass and if he’s getting a rebound, he’s putting it back up. If he catches it on the perimeter, guard him,'” Brown said. “And he did those things. I thought that shift in mindset was big for us in the second half.”
Towns finished with 27 points and 20 rebounds. It was the 14th time he has scored at least 25 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, and the fourth time he has done it in a Knicks uniform.
“I thought we did a good job of picking up our intensity and our physicality. I said before the game for us to win this, we have to be the best version of ourselves and not worry about everything else that’s going on,” Towns said.
Containing Cunningham
New York’s top priority was containing Pistons All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham. He had scored 40 points in his last visit to Madison Square Garden last season and appeared headed for another big game, but he shot 4-of-14 after the first quarter.
The Knicks locked in on Cunningham, and with no other reliable scoring option for Detroit, New York steadily built a sizable lead.
“Our guys realized, no I can’t react to them. I got to dictate to them what’s going to happen,” Brown said. “And do it with a smart level of physicality.”
A Reminder That Work Remains
Brunson did not have a standout night, going 5-for-18 from the field for 23 points. He stayed aggressive, however, and forced the action. He also helped push Pistons defensive ace Ausar Thompson to foul out in the fourth quarter, just as Detroit was attempting a late comeback.
Brown did not view one win as a cure for the team’s problems, while acknowledging that growth is still needed.
“Is it fixed? No. it ain’t fixed. Nothing’s really fixed. What tonight shows us is we’re more than capable if we put our minds to it, and that’s what we got to continue to try to build off of.”