New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has had a dominant season this year, but Friday night against the Detroit Pistons was a night to forget not only for him, but the entire team.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson struggled badly against the Pistons
Brunson had one of, if not his worst, performance in his Knicks career. He finished with just 12 points and shot 4-for-20 from the field and 0-for-8 from three, as New York was blown out by Detroit 80-118.
With Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby sitting out due to injuries, they needed more out of Brunson to get past a good Pistons team. However, the physical defense of the Pistons proved to be too much for Brunson.
He had Ausar Thompson guarding him frequently, and he had him shut down entirely. Detroit also blitzed Brunson often, sending double and triple teams to prevent him from getting to his spots inside the arc.
The Knicks were silenced by the Pistons
With his poor shooting night, the rest couldn’t make up for it. They shot just 35% from the field and 24% from three as a team, with their 80 points being the fewest they have scored in a game this season. After keeping the game relatively close to start, the Pistons gained confidence quickly thanks to their bench, and it got out of reach in an eye blink.
New York has struggled against Detroit this season, having lost by 30+ points in both of their matchups this season. Granted, the Knicks have yet to play the Pistons with a fully healthy roster, but it still shows the leap that the team the Knicks knocked out of the playoffs last year has taken this season.
As of now, the Knicks sit as the third seed, one game behind the Boston Celtics for the second seed. That makes Sunday’s game rather important, as a win over the Celtics will put them back in the second seed just before the All-Star break.
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