Knicks blowout Pistons, 128-98, to start 4-game road trip 2-0

DETROIT — A trap game, it was not.

After starting their play with 4 consecutive matchups against Eastern Conference playoff contenders, the Knicks faced a antithetic benignant of situation Friday nighttime successful Detroit: staying focused against a rebuilding squad with eyes connected the lottery.

The Pistons, coming disconnected back-to-back seasons with the NBA’s worst record, entered Friday’s matchup astatine 1-4. Despite offseason roster changes and a caller caput coach, Detroit appeared destined for different twelvemonth astatine the bottommost of the standings. For a Knicks squad intent connected competing for a championship, games similar these tin beryllium the cleanable setup for a letdown. But New York kept its ft firmly connected the gas, securing a decisive 128-98 triumph implicit the Pistons successful a wire-to-wire blowout.

Fueled by a blistering archetypal 4th from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks jumped to a 39-13 pb and ne'er looked back.

“Just the mode we kept fighting,” Brunson said successful his walk-off interview. “I don’t deliberation we took our ft disconnected the state — possibly conscionable a mates of minutes successful the second. I truly liked our defence today.”

Brunson finished with a game-high 36 points connected 14-of-22 shooting, resting the full 4th quarter. He scored 15 points connected 6-of-9 shooting successful the opening 4th unsocial and had 26 points by halftime, a invited instrumentality to signifier aft shooting struggles against Miami and Cleveland.

As Brunson acceptable the tone, his teammates followed. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists; OG Anunoby added a season-high 21 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals; Mikal Bridges contributed 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists; and Josh Hart posted 13 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. New York’s pb swelled to arsenic overmuch arsenic 38 points successful the 4th fourth earlier caput manager Tom Thibodeau emptied his seat with 5 minutes to play.

The crippled besides marked the 4th consecutive outing successful which each 5 Knicks starters scored successful treble figures — a feat past accomplished successful the 1988-89 play erstwhile Patrick Ewing, Mark Jackson, and Charles Oakley led a Knicks squad with heavy playoff aspirations.

For the 2nd consecutive game, the Knicks recorded 30 assists, with six players tallying astatine slightest three. Miles McBride, with 10 points and 2 assists, was 1 assistance shy of making it 7 Knicks with aggregate assists connected the night.

“We were conscionable trying to marque the close play astatine the close clip portion inactive trying to enactment aggressive,” said Brunson. “Any fixed night, we person a clump of guys who tin person large nights connected the stat sheet.”

On the Pistons’ side, franchise cornerstone Cade Cunningham led with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, though nary different Detroit subordinate topped 13 points. While the Pistons’ starters changeable a respectable 45%, the squad arsenic a full was careless with the shot committing 22 turnovers. They were incapable to support up with the Knicks’ three-point barrage. After taking less than 30 threes successful each of their archetypal 3 games, New York changeable 40 threes against Miami and 38 against Detroit. The Knicks made 18 threes connected Friday, led by six connected 8 attempts from Brunson positive different 3 each from Towns, Bridges and Anunoby.

“Ball was going in. Still gotta enactment connected a mates of different things, but we’re starting to enactment the pieces unneurotic a small bit,” said Brunson. “I’m blessed with wherever we are. We’ve gotta proceed to get better.”

The Knicks are present 2-0 connected their four-game roadworthy trip. Next, they look the Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks earlier returning to Madison Square Garden to big Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and the Milwaukee Bucks connected Nov. 8.