Knicks take 38-point lead, rout Pistons behind Jalen Brunson's 36 points

DETROIT — With the Knicks ahead by 33 points in the fourth quarter on Friday night, Tom Thibodeau called down his bench for Karl-Anthony Towns to get back in the game. Minutes later, when Detroit cut the lead to 30, he signaled for a timeout.

That might explain why as the Knicks have changed faces this season, the identity of the team is not about to change. Follow the Thibodeau mantras — everything matters. Play for 48 minutes.

The evidence was easy to spot even in this game, which was a blowout nearly from the opening tip. The Knicks led by as many as 38, never saw the lead dip below 20 after the first quarter and worked their way through a 128-98 demolition of the rebuilding Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.

After scoring on a tough shot under the rim and drawing a foul on the play in the closing minutes in Miami on Wednesday night, Towns turned from the lane and flexed, a show of strength as he capped a 44-point, 13-rebound effort against the Heat and Bam Adebayo, their all-defensive team center. It may have seemed out of character for Towns, but it also might have been a sign that he is adapting to more than just new teammates and a new style of play in New York.

On Friday night, it was Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart who was getting physical with Towns. He responded by powering around the rim and going nose-to-nose with Stewart as the Knicks (3-2) opened leads of as many as 33 points in the first half. They led by 26 in the first quarter (39-13), tied for the second-largest first-quarter lead in franchise history.

The Knicks finally cleared the bench shortly after the timeout, inserting their three rookies and Jacob Toppin into the game with 5:06 to play. Point proved and victory secured.

Jalen Brunson had 36 points, all in the first three quarters, after scoring 26 in the first half. He shot 6-for-8 from three-point range. Towns finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. OG Anunoby added 21 points and for the fourth straight game, all five Knicks starters finished in double figures.

The Knicks had 16 steals and forced 22 turnovers.

“I mean, we’re striving for an unattainable goal,” Josh Hart said. “I don’t think anybody or any team in the history of the NBA has played a full 48 minutes. Boston on ring night’s close. It’s an unattainable goal and we know that, but it’s something we know we’ve got to build to get to. I’m not sure what we probably played — probably 30 good minutes of good basketball tonight. We’re going into Houston next and our goal is to play, you know, at least 32, 33, 34 minutes of good basketball and continue to build and build and build until at the end of the year we’re the best team we can be.”

When the Knicks made the trade for Towns just ahead of training camp, adding it to the deal for Mikal Bridges during the summer, there was no doubt that the franchise had upped the talent level of the starting lineup. But there were legitimate questions about whether they had lost something, too.

In giving up Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, they surrendered a pair of hard-nosed veterans willing to mix it up in the paint and play with a style that recalled the Knicks teams of decades earlier, the ones who would dress in black sneakers and shave their heads as a sign of intimidation.

No one is shaving his head here now, but maybe not all of that swagger has been lost.

“They’re different, obviously,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Adding guys like Towns, Bridges, it gives them a different dynamic of guys who can individually impact the game at a high level. Both of those guys are capable of having big nights.

“But I think what they’ve done is they’ve kept the heart and soul of the team, and their spirit is the same . . . Having the Josh Harts of the world, the Jalen Brunsons of the world, they keep that fight and spirit that gives them an opportunity and is kind of what they’re known for and they’re able to keep the defensive identity with Anunoby and Bridges as two-way players. They’re always going to be well-coached. Thibs does a great job with his teams. But that mindset of who they are, I don’t think that changed with the personnel changes.”

The dynamics of the team still may be set by returning starters Brunson and Hart along with Anunoby, who played only 23 regular-season games for the Knicks last season after arriving in a midseason trade. But for the style to remain in place, the new pieces have to join in. And maybe this early start is a sign that Towns is a different player than when he first came in the league and played for Thibodeau in Minnesota.

Every year is different, and everybody starts over,” Thibodeau said. “Sometimes you bring back the exact same guys and it’s different. So you have to start at a zero base and go from there. We have a lot of work to do, as do all of the teams in the league. The teams that can make that commitment to do it day after day do improve.”

Notes & quotes: Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) has accompanied the team on the road trip but has yet to resume practicing with the team. “He’s doing a little more on the court,” Thibodeau said. “Once a guy can start doing stuff on the court, then usually he’ll travel with us. Sometimes it’s better to keep him back because we can do more rehab stuff at the facility. So it’s a case by case. But he’s making good, steady progress. But he hasn’t yet actually gone through a real practice yet.”

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.