The New York Knicks took care of business against a bad Detriot Pistons squad Friday, dominantly winning the game wire-to-wire by a score of 128-98. The Knicks have won two straight games to improve their record to 3-2 on the year, while the Pistons fall to 1-5. New York has now won 16 consecutive games over Detroit dating back to the 2019 season.
Jalen Brunson was rolling for the Knicks against the Pistons
Entering the game, superstar point guard Jalen Brunson had gotten off to a fairly slow start to the season, including back-to-back games in which he shot just 33% from the floor. Brunson took advantage of poor Detriot defense and exploded for a season-high 36 points on 14-for-22 shooting from the field and 6-for-8 from three. He also added five assists and two steals to his final line score and had a plus-minus of +23.
Brunson desperately needed a game like this after struggling with his efficiency to begin the year. Karl-Anthony Towns was able to pick up the slack in their previous game against the Miami Heat with 44 points and 13 rebounds, and now the Knicks got a big game out of their captain the following game, showing the ceiling of this team when those two are playing at their best.
The Knicks took advantage of careless Pistons turnovers
New York was dialed in defensively, forcing 22 turnovers from the Pistons and scoring 30 points off of those miscues. The Knicks also had 16 steals compared to the Pistons’ six, leading to easy transition opportunities. Overall, the Knicks shot 51.5% from the floor, continuing the hyper-efficient shooting that they had put on display to begin the season.
The Knicks also moved the basketball exceptionally well which led to open looks all over the court. As a team, they recorded 31 assists with just nine turnovers and six Knicks players recorded at least three assists, with Towns leading the way in that category with a season-high seven assists.
The Knicks were playing a brand of unselfish basketball that saw everybody contribute significantly and pounced on the mistakes the Pistons made. Six players scored in double figures for New York, including all five starters for the fourth consecutive game. All five starters also shot 44% or above from the field and OG Anunoby had his best-scoring game of the season with 21 points and three three-pointers.
The Knicks showed their best potential against the Pistons
When playing a bad team like the Pistons, the expectation for a good team is for them to handle business and demonstrate why they are significantly better. The Knicks did that in a massive way, as they never trailed in the contest and led by as much as 38 at one point. They showcased a dominant effort on both ends of the floor and simply overpowered a Pistons team that is still deep in their rebuild.
New York did a strong job at containing Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who finished with 22 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Cunningham has been Detriot’s top scorer so far this season with an average of 25.6 points per game. The Knicks prevented him from taking over the game and giving them fits, which was the catalyst behind winning in such a dominant fashion.
The Knicks will have the weekend off to rest before they head off to Houston to take on the Rockets on Monday. That game tips off at 8:45 P.M. EST.