The New York Knicks finally notched their first W as defending champs, a 111-97 grind against the Detroit Pistons. But don’t let that final score fool ya, this one felt anything but comfortable, especially when the first quarter buzzer sounded. This wasn’t some breezy, championship-caliber performance; it was a battle, a straight-up fight to avoid going deeper into an early season hole.
First Quarter Fears and a Second Quarter Survival
Man, that first quarter was ugly. Mikal Bridges put up a prayer from halfcourt at the buzzer and it didn’t even draw iron. Why? Because on the other end, Paul Reed had just buried a triple, giving Detroit its 38th point and a commanding 13-point lead over the orange and blue. Thirteen points! For a team that gave up 40 in the final frame against Orlando just last Sunday, giving up 38 in one quarter to the Pistons felt like a gut punch. Things didn’t get better to start the second, either. The Knicks couldn’t buy a basket for the first two minutes of the period. Seriously, for a moment there, you had to wonder if Detroit was gonna blow the lead up close to 20, but thankfully, they didn’t capitalize on their numerous open threes. Instead, the Knicks’ defense finally showed up. They completely shut down the Pistons, limiting the “bad shooting boys from the Motor City” to a miserable 3-for-21 clip in the quarter.
KAT Steps Up After Mike Brown’s Halftime Challenge
The offense took a little longer to get rolling, but opportunism started to reign. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond came up with some crucial putbacks, the team finally started hitting some threes, and Jalen Brunson, who apparently looked like Jordan Clarkson in a Utah blowout early on, began drawing fouls. But the real turning point, the “fun” as they called it, started after halftime. Head coach Mike Brown supposedly challenged Karl-Anthony Towns right there in the locker room. Brown laid it out plain, saying he “just told him the truth. ‘KAT, [Paul Reed] is killing us on the glass and when he gets a rebound he’s putting it back. If he gets on the perimeter, guard him. And he did those things.’” And Towns responded! For the first time this season, the Knicks finally found a consistent rhythm on both ends of the court, with Towns leading the charge after that clear-eyed challenge.
This first win as defending champs is a massive exhale, even if it took some serious soul-searching to get there. It’s early, and the defending champs are still finding their footing, but getting that first one in the books, especially with Towns responding to a direct call-out, is exactly what they needed. Onto the next one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Posting and Toasting.
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