Pistons 124, Knicks 119: “Terrible perimeter defense.”

Three Knicks log triple doubles, but an inability to shut down the perimeter lets Detroit escape with a win.

In the second game of a back-to-back, the New York Knicks (26-15) hosted the Detroit Pistons (21-19) tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Motor City club had won nine of their last eleven and bested New York in their last meeting to tie the season series 1-1. The Knicks easily handled the Giannis and the Bucks yesterday, but we had a hunch that the surging Pistons might prove a tougher test.

They sure looked like it in the first quarter. Detroit jumped out to a 7-2 lead and stayed ahead through the duration of the period, spreading their offensive production efficiently across their starters. Once again, the ‘Bockers struggled to shut down perimeter shooting, with Detroit making 6-of-12 from deep, including four from a sizzling Malik Beasley. Meanwhile, New York hit 2-of-6 from deep and coughed up six turnovers en route to losing the quarter, 37-26. For the Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns had nine points and made all six of his free-throw attempts.

New York flipped the script with a 13-2 run to start the second quarter. Cameron Payne was a sparkplug off the bench with 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting, helping our heroes to seize the lead. They commited four more turnovers, but making 20 of their 22 free-throw attempts made up for that. Jalen Brunson led out heroes with 17 points and five assists, Towns added 16, and Josh Hart set a new career-high with 11 first-half rebounds.

Detroit’s spiritual leader, Cade Cunningham, had a quiet half marred by four fouls, and Isaiah Stewart, their reserve center and perhaps a figure on New York’s trade radar, had five points, three boards, and two blocks in his 12 minutes. Notable: OG Anunoby is one of the NBA’s most unflappable players, but tonight he chewed out Beef Stew on multiple occasions. Stewart, who has a history of pissing people off, might not be a welcome addition to the Knicks’ locker room after all.

Cunningham made up for his seven-point first half by scoring 12 in the third quarter. He and Ausar Thompson tag-teamed on a 19-11 run to reclaim their advantage. Also working for them: Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff deployed an effective zone defense that slowed the Knicks offense and forced at least two more turnovers that resulted in points at the other end.

Early in the game, Karl-Anthony Towns jammed his right thumb on the rim. The digit, taped at halftime, seemed especially bothersome in the second half and sent KAT to the bench at times. Later, when Karl drove the lane, Tobias Harris made sure to give it a good hack. I’ve never liked that bum. Despite the injury, Karl finished with a 26-12 double-double and shot 4-of-9 from downtown.

Mikal Bridges, an inconsistent scorer of late, dropped 11 of his 27 total points in the third quarter, and his timely hoops helped our heroes recover from a nine-point hole. New York trailed 95-90 heading into the final frame.

Cunningham kept cooking to start the fourth, extending the visitors’ lead to nine. Bridges answered, and so did Jalen Brunson, who cut the deficit to five. Despite a sore right shoulder, the Captain tried to carry the team to victory, but around the five minute mark, both he and KAT bricked shots off the front of the iron. Meanwhile, Bickerstaff had been resting Cunningham and Thompson, so their legs were fresh(er) when they returned to action with four minutes left. Did Brunson have enough petrol left to finish the comeback?

Yeah, baby! Brunson shaked and baked Jalen Duren into a sixth foul for a three-point play, and he dished a tenth assist to Josh Hart for a layup that tightened the gap to two points with two minutes left. Jalen would end the night with 31 points and 11 assists, and Hart recorded a 12-point, 14-rebound double-double.

In crunch time, Bridges hit his sixth three-pointer of the night, but two more turnovers (New York would finish with 17) screwed the pooch. Quoth AL_Joe.NY: “Terrible perimeter defense.” Proving him right, Beasley sank two more triples and put Detroit too far ahead to reach with six seconds left. Final score, 124-119.

Up Next

The Knicks travel to Philly to face the Sixers. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score