The New York Knicks’ winning streak has been snapped. New York opted to sit two starters with injuries, and the other guys could not keep the winning going, as the Knicks got pummeled by the Detroit Pistons on Friday 80-118.
Jalen Brunson had no answer for the Pistons defense
Jalen Brunson was the star against the Denver Nuggets, but he was shut down by the Pistons defense on Friday, arguably having the worst game of his Knicks career.
In the first half, he shot just 2-for-13 and 0-for-5 from three, scoring only five points. He had nothing working for him offensively as the Pistons swarmed him with Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby not playing. The Knicks trailed by 21 entering the half.
Overall on the night, he finished with 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting from the field. With the other guys out, they needed the Captain to carry them to a win, but he couldn’t get it done and was silenced offensively.
Knicks bench provided nothing
With Towns and Anunoby out, Mohamed Diawara and Mitchell Robinson stepped into the starting lineup, forcing Ariel Hukporti, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Jordan Clarkson to re-enter the rotation. Unfortunately, the entire bench provided virtually no impact.
They scored only 12 bench points in the first half, en route to 36 on the night, most of which came in garbage time. The Pistons, meanwhile, got impactful games from their reserves, with Daniss Jenkins and Javonte Green providing a spark for them.
Clarkson was a -15 in only seven minutes in the first half, and a -23 overall, as it was the bench unit that allowed the Pistons lead to balloon to double digits. It never got within single digits in the second half, as the Knicks just couldn’t generate any offense.
The Knicks shot awful splits as a team
The Knicks had shot the ball very efficiently during the win streak, but they went ice cold as a team against the Pistons. The lack of shooting is what led to the Knicks facing a massive deficit.
They shot just 35% from the field and 24% from three. They couldn’t keep up with the Pistons, who were lights out from the field and from three. New York felt the absence of Anunoby and Towns, who are responsible for a large part of their offense.
The hope is that this can simply be chalked up as a bad shooting night. They’ll need to bounce back in a big way in their next game to get back on track.
Overview
It was simply not the Knicks’ night, and their winning streak ends in a tough way. They’ll look to bounce back on Sunday when they face the Boston Celtics on the road.
More about:New York Knicks
