The New York Knicks were unable to secure wins at both home games before their first-round series with the Detroit Pistons heads on the road, losing Monday by a score of 100-94 after coming up short in their comeback effort. The series is now tied 1-1.
The Knicks’ comeback effort fell just short
New York trailed for most of this game as they labored shooting the ball. Overall on the night, they shot just 28.6% (10-for-35) from three-point range, and had virtually no offensive flow against the stifling Pistons defense.
The Knicks saw the deficit grow as large as 15, as despite Detroit’s struggling offense, their defense was what was powering them through the game. New York would then start a rally in the second half, trimming the Pistons’ lead to eight entering the fourth quarter.
A rally spearheaded by their captain, Jalen Brunson, helped them claw back and eventually tie the game with under two minutes to play. However, Pistons guard Dennis Schroeder knocked down a go-ahead three after a miscommunication on defense from Brunson and Josh Hart, which ultimately would seal the Knicks’ fate.
Defense continues to be an issue for New York, and they were dominated in the rebound battle despite Detroit playing without Isaiah Stewart. The Pistons outrebounded the Knicks 48-34.
Mikal Bridges missed several opportunities down the stretch
After a rough Game 1, Mikal Bridges looked sharp through the first three quarters of Game 2. Entering the fourth quarter, he had 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and knocked down three three-pointers.
However, he erased that strong performance with an ice-cold fourth quarter, as he went scoreless in the closing frame and shot 0-for-4 from the floor. Most of his shot attempts came in crunch time, and he missed several good looks that could’ve elevated their chances of winning.
The Knicks need Bridges to be more consistent. The story of his first season with New York has been the lack of consistency on the offensive end, and unfortunately, that has continued into the playoffs.
Karl-Anthony Towns was frozen out of the offense in the second half
Karl-Anthony Towns was looking to pick up where he left off following a dominant Game 1. However, he was not the same in Game 2 and was seemingly invisible in the second half.
After scoring 10 points in the first half, Towns would not score another basket the rest of the way, and only attempted three shots, all of which came in the third quarter. He did not attempt a shot in the fourth as the offense became extremely reliant on Brunson to be a hero once again.
That lack of usage from Towns is certainly not ideal in any game scenario, nevertheless a playoff game in which a win would give them all of the momentum. The Knicks will not go very far if they are unable to get him more involved in crunch-time situations, and an adjustment needs to be made before Game 3.
Overview
The Knicks had a chance to capitalize on their Game 1 win with a big win in Game 2, but came up short. Luckily for them, the series is far from over, but now they will need to regroup and be prepared for two hostile road games as the series now heads to Detroit for Games 3 and 4.