Knicks cut 17-point deficit to two before falling to Pistons
Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) battles Knicks forwards OG Anunoby (8) and Precious Achiuwa (5) for a rebound during the second half, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: Noah K. Murray
Facing an early hole after a sloppy start, the Knicks could not find their footing against the Pistons on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Playing without Karl-Anthony Towns — a rare disruption to a mostly consistent starting five this season — the Knicks never led in their 120-111 loss, which snapped their winning streak at four games. The Pistons had lost 16 straight games to the Knicks.
“We started slow,” Jalen Brunson said. “They dictated the pace and the physicality, and they played well with the lead all game.”
The Knicks (14-9) cut what had been a 17-point third-quarter deficit to two on Ariel Hukporti’s alley-oop dunk with 11:16 left but never got within a possession again. Detroit extended its lead to 16 with 4:15 remaining.
Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick for Detroit in 2021, recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists. Malik Beasley added 23 points off the bench for the Pistons (10-15), shooting 7-for-10 from three-point range.
Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points and 10 assists. Mikal Bridges had 20 points and Josh Hart and OG Anunoby added 17 each.
“The way we started the game, they got going offensively and we weren’t into the ball, didn’t challenge shots,” Tom Thibodeau said. “Got in a big hole early and then played from behind.”
The Knicks — who were hurt by 16-for-27 free-throw shooting and a 43-31 rebounding disadvantage — fell behind 115-101 with 3:10 left but cut Detroit’s lead to 118-111 on Brunson’s jumper with 1:22 to play. Hart was called for his second technical foul with 1:10 left and was ejected, and Beasley’s technical free throw extended the lead to 119-111.
Towns popped up as questionable with right knee patellar tendinopathy on the injury report early Saturday afternoon. After going through pregame warmups, the 7-footer was ruled out, and Jericho Sims started in his place.
Brunson, Hart, Bridges and Anunoby have started all 23 games, making Saturday only the second starting lineup for the Knicks. The same combination also was used during Towns’ first absence on Nov. 15.
Reserve guard Cameron Payne missed a second straight game with left elbow effusion.
“You’re not going to replace KAT individually and Cam, but collectively we can,” Thibodeau said. “We can play great defense. We can rebound the ball as a team, and that’s what you have to do. You’re not going to rely on one guy to get you 13 rebounds, but collectively we can do it.
“That’s where we have to be better. We have to learn from it.”
Although Sims got the starting nod, Thibodeau opted to go with Precious Achiuwa — playing only his second game of the season after missing the first 21 with a left hamstring strain — and Hukporti, the 6-11 rookie who played in only 10 previous games, for most of the Knicks’ minutes at center.
Hukporti shined at times with nine points and no fouls in 15:28. Achiuwa had six points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 27:44. Sims went scoreless in 6:13 and did not play in the second half.
“We were just searching,” Thibodeau said. “We wanted energy.”
The Knicks had as many turnovers (four) as shots in the first 3:46, forcing Thibodeau to use a timeout with his team facing a 13-2 deficit. The Knicks trailed 39-23 at the end of the first quarter.
“We lacked energy in that first quarter,” Hart said. “Didn’t come out aggressive, physical . . . We just got to be better. There’s been a couple lulls in the first quarter that we got to fix. We can’t always try to dig ourselves out of holes.”
Said Brunson, “The game starts at 7:30. We got to be ready at 7:30.”
Detroit extended its lead to 69-58 at halftime. The Knicks shot 54.1% from the field and 47.1% from three-point range in the first 24 minutes but were hurt by nine first-half turnovers and seven missed free throws.
The Knicks ended the third quarter on an 8-0 run, and Hukporti’s alley-oop finish with 25.2 seconds left in the quarter cut their deficit to 89-85 entering the fourth.
“Obviously, when guys are out, it’s a miss for us,” Brunson said. “But we’re more than capable of going out there with what we have and playing well. And now we just got to do it and believe that we can do it and stick to each other.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
