The Knicks fell behind 38-25 after one quarter, then took over and beat the Pistons 111-97 for their first win of the season. Mikal Bridges hit four threes, OG Anunoby defended everywhere and Jalen Brunson got his points at the line.
Buried, Then Back
The opening quarter was a mugging. Detroit dropped 38 on the champs and led by 13. The Knicks answered with a 9-0 burst in the second, turning 42-30 into 42-39, and they went to the locker room up 51-50. The game had seven ties and four lead changes, and then it stopped being close. Final: 111-97.
The Swing
With 31 seconds left in the half, the Pistons led 50-48. By 9:26 of the third, it was 62-50 New York. That is a 14-0 run, and it came at the moment this team has been giving games away. Detroit burned a timeout down 57-50 after nine straight points and still couldn't stop it. Brown closed with Brunson, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bridges and Anunoby. That is the group this roster was built around, and it held.
Report Card
Bridges: A. He came in shooting zero from deep and went 4-for-6 from three, 12 points, no turnovers, plus-11. Anunoby: B. His 3-for-12 shooting was ugly, but two steals, two blocks and a team-best plus-13 tell you where he earned his money. Brunson: B-minus. He was 4-for-13 and 0-for-5 from three, but he went 9-for-10 at the line for 17 points and finished plus-10. Towns: C-plus. He had 14 and 10 on 6-for-11, but he missed all four threes and was the only closer on the wrong side of the ledger at minus-1.
Who Moved It
Hart went plus-12 in just 14 minutes. Andre Drummond gave eight minutes of plus-11 basketball with 4 points on 2-for-3. On the other side of it, Landry Shamet scored 10 but sat at minus-3, and Miles McBride went minus-3 in 10 minutes. Detroit's Paul Reed hurt New York with 18 on 7-for-10. Duncan Robinson went 1-for-10 and 0-for-7 from deep, and the Knicks will take that every time.
Now Prove It
One win over an opponent that had won three straight is a pulse, not a cure. The Knicks go to Chicago on Wednesday with a day of rest. The Bulls are 1-3, have lost two straight, are missing Nic Claxton and list Patrick Williams as day-to-day. Then it's Philadelphia in an NBA Cup game on Friday and the Nets on November 2. Jose Alvarado's estimated return is Wednesday. Beat the teams you're supposed to beat, and this week will be remembered for the comeback, not the hole they dug before it.
How did the Knicks beat the Pistons after trailing by 13?
They used a 9-0 run in the second quarter to get back in it, then a 14-0 run across halftime that turned a 50-48 deficit into a 62-50 lead. They won 111-97.
Who played best for the Knicks against Detroit?
Mikal Bridges hit 4 of 6 threes for 12 points with no turnovers, and OG Anunoby led the team at plus-13 with two steals and two blocks. Jalen Brunson scored 17, nine of them at the free-throw line.
