Knicks Rally Past Pistons 111-97 for First Win — SkimNews
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- New York Knicks erased a 13-point first-quarter deficit and beat the previously undefeated Detroit Pistons 111-97 on Tuesday night, after opening with losses to Philadelphia, Boston and Orlando.
- Jalen Brunson made his first three shots of the third quarter to ignite an 11-0 run, turning a one-point halftime lead into a 62-50 advantage and easing his early-season slump.
- Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 27 points and 20 rebounds, crediting New York’s increased physicality and energy with making the Knicks look more like themselves from last year.
- Mike Brown said the win demonstrated New York was more than capable when it continued building, but cautioned that nothing was fixed and that hiccups would recur during the long season.
- Detroit Pistons had handled the Knicks easily in all three 2025-26 regular-season meetings before losing this game, when New York held them to 12 points in the second quarter.
- New York Knicks had accumulated as many losses in their first three games as they did in 19 games during their title run, when they went 16-3 and set the postseason record for largest point differential by a team.
Why it matters: For New York, moving from 0-3 to 1-3 avoids the 1969-70 Celtics’ rare 0-4 start for reigning champions, while Detroit’s loss ends its unbeaten run. Towns’ 27-point, 20-rebound line and Brunson’s 11-0 burst show that the core behind last season’s 16-3 postseason remained immediately productive.
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