Deadspin: Karl-Anthony Towns Helps Knicks Avert 0-4 Start With Victory Over Pistons

Detroit Takes Early Control

The Pistons closed the first quarter with a 15-5 surge and moved ahead 38-25 on Paul Reed’s 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left. Reed led Detroit with 22 points and nine rebounds.

New York answered in the second quarter. Andre Drummond and Landry Shamet scored the first 11 points in a 19-8 finish to the half, and Jalen Brunson’s two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining put the Knicks ahead 51-50.

Knicks Break Away In Third

New York opened the third quarter with 11 straight points and outscored Detroit 37-13 in the period. Towns had 13 of his game-high 27 points during the decisive run.

Shamet’s 3-pointer with 2:59 left in the quarter gave the Knicks an 82-61 lead, their first advantage of more than 20 points. Josh Hart added a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it 88-63.

Pistons Rally Falls Short

Towns began the fourth with a layup that pushed New York’s lead to 27. Detroit outscored the Knicks 34-21 over the remainder of the game and cut the margin to 104-93 on Ronald Holland II’s putback dunk with 2:39 remaining.

Brunson finished with 23 points and seven assists. OG Anunoby and Shamet scored 13 points each, Mikal Bridges had 12, and Drummond added 10 off the bench.

Season Stakes And Past Meetings

The win ended New York’s six-game skid against Detroit. The Pistons had won all three meetings last season by an average of 28 points. The Knicks avoided becoming the first defending NBA champion to begin 0-4 since the Boston Celtics in 1969-70. Detroit, led also by Cade Cunningham’s 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, was pursuing its first 4-0 start since 2018-19; Duncan Robinson scored 12, while Ausar Thompson and reserve Daniss Jenkins had 11 apiece.