Knicks pick up first win of the season, down undefeated Pistons, 111-97

After opening the season 0-3, the Knicks finally resembled their championship selves Tuesday night, downing the Detroit Pistons, who had been the last remaining undefeated team in the Eastern Conference, 111-97.

Here are the takeaways…

— New York faced a shorthanded Pistons team that found itself without mammoth center Jalen Duren and newly-acquired veteran guard Isaiah Joe, leaving Cade Cunningham and swingman Ausar Thompson — who returned to the court after missing Sunday’s game due to a sprained ankle — to shoulder most of the offensive weight against a nearly completely healthy Knicks squad eyeing their first win of the season.

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New York was missing just bench point guard Jose Alvarado, whose sprained ankle sidelined him for a second-straight contest.

— The Knicks went up early thanks to a pair of two-pointers from Karl-Anthony Towns and Og Anunoby in the first 90 seconds of the game, but Detroit caught up quickly on two free throws and a bucket, all courtesy of Paul Reed. After a Pistons timeout with 7:05 to go in the frame, Detroit went on an unanswered 7-0 run to take a 15-11 lead, driven by five points and an assist from Cunningham. A Landry Shamet three narrowed the gap, but the Pistons stayed two or more possessions ahead through the remainder of the quarter as New York’s transition defense allowed another lengthy run from Detroit down the stretch (10-2).

Through the first 12 minutes of play, Shamet (8 minutes) was minus-16, Towns (10 minutes) was minus-14, and Brunson (11 minutes) was minus-10.

— The Knicks continued to fall behind, dropping to a 12-point deficit (42-30) midway through the second. After Brunson launched a 25-foot three-point jumper and missed, Andre Drummond leapt up and caught the rebound as it bounced off the rim, slamming the ball into the net to put the Knicks back within two possessions. Seemingly revitalized by Drummond’s dunk, the Knicks’ defense kicked back into gear, holding Detroit to just one point for over four-and-a-half minutes of play.

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A Mikal Bridges basket from beyond the arc — his third of both the game and the season — gave the…

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Publish date : 2026-10-28 02:56:00

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