New York Knicks lose to the Detroit Pistons 126-111: The East goes through Detroit

The New York Knicks lost to the Detroit Pistons again, 126-111, giving Detroit a sweep of the season series. The Pistons didn’t have their first or second-string centers, but still beat the Knicks for almost the entire game.

I hoped the break would restore the Knicks' energy, but instead, bad habits from the January losing streak crept back in. They switched too easily, faded in transition defense, and failed to adequately protect the rim.

The Knicks hung around early, leading after the opening tip but quickly losing ground. Cade Cunningham overwhelmed New York’s defenders for 42 points and 13 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson was the lone Knick putting up a fight. The rest of the Knicks couldn’t hit shots all night, so the game never felt very close.

This felt like an important game, and the Knicks showed no heart. Let’s vent a little while reviewing a rough night.

I’m guessing some fans will point to Jalen Brunson’s turnovers and blame this loss on his lack of moving the ball. But the Captain shot more than 50% from the field while throwing eight dimes. New York didn’t have an offense unless the ball was in Brunson’s hands.

That’s not to excuse the turnovers. We’ve seen much better performances from Brunson. But he was, without a doubt, the least of New York’s problems.

It’s only by default that Josh Hart is sneaking into the “second-best performance” slot here. The rest of the starters had bad games, while Hart at least found ways to contribute.

But the downside to Hart’s night is his lack of three-point attempts. The Pistons gave him space, and he failed to punish them enough to create real gravity. That limited his impact despite his efficient numbers.

I found Mikal Bridges’ lack of minutes a little odd. He’s coming off an aggressive stretch of quality play, and he hit a few tough shots during his playing time. But Bridges didn’t make his threes and ceded minutes to the rest of the Knicks.

Cade Cunningham seemed too big and strong for Bridges through most of the action. That may have contributed to the reduction in minutes. But Mikal started the third quarter showing signs that he was ready to step up and make plays.

The Knicks’ bench wasn’t good for most of the night, but Landry Shamet put together a respectable effort. His three-pointers didn’t start falling until it was too late, but he was aggressive enough off the dribble to make positive things happen.

Shamet’s defensive play warrants a shoutout, too. He was too small to contain Cade Cunningham, but he embraced the Pistons’ physicality, where the vaunted “Wing Stop” duo shrank away.

Prior to the All-Star break, Karl-Anthony Towns showed us that he’s capable of playing pretty good defense. That makes his poor defensive performance against Detroit all the more frustrating. KAT’s rotations were slow, and even when he got to players in time, he contested shots half-heartedly. Blake Griffin said it at halftime: the Knicks can’t compete for a championship if KAT defends like that.

Towns’ offensive numbers look better, but he was playing against the Pistons’ third and fourth-string centers. He looked invisible in the first half, and it was too little too late in the second half.

OG Anunoby came back from a toenail avulsion that is likely still bothering him. He didn’t attack the rim like he normally does, settling for jumpers and missing all of them until very late in the game.

Anunoby had some impressive moments as a help defender, but he also gave up switches off Cade Cunningham too often. He’s usually tougher to shake off, so I’ll chalk it up to the toe limiting his movement.

Well, that was disappointing. I expected the Knicks to show up with a chip on their shoulder. Instead, the Pistons issued a resounding statement for anyone who doubted they’re the best team in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks haven’t proven they have an answer for Cade Cunningham, or that they have enough grit to survive a seven-game series with either Detroit or Boston. That was true last season, too, but it feels more concerning this time around.

Expectations are higher than ever, so is the disappointment when they play like pushovers in a big matchup.

The good news is there’s time to get on track. The first chance will be on Saturday against the Rockets. I’ll see you after that one, Knicks’ fam!