Three takeaways from Knicks' Game 1 victory over Pistons

Three takeaways from Game 1 of the Pistons-Knicks first-round playoff series:

1. Bench help brings Payne

So much has been made about the Knicks’ depth, or lack of it, and the burden on the starting five. While that load on the starters may not be an issue in the postseason with no back-to-back sets of games and less travel, the Knicks’ critics still have pointed to the bench as a weak spot.

But as much as Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby may have carried much of the load in Game 1 Saturday against the Pistons, the Knicks got a huge contribution from the bench, including from unexpected corners. Landry Shamet and Deuce McBride struggled in their minutes, but Mitchell Robinson and Cam Payne made up for that.

Robinson was a force defensively, a backstop every time Cade Cunningham got a step on a defender, and had three offensive rebounds. Each one turned into a follow bucket, including a thunderous one-handed dunk off a Brunson miss that had Madison Square Garden shaking.

But no one got the Garden crowd going like Payne, the Knicks’ resident Energizer bunny. He was the last player of nine used to get in the game but instantly made an impact, scoring 14 points in 15 minutes (plus-23 in that limited role). His three-point field goals helped spur the Knicks’ 21-0 run in the fourth quarter. But his defense also triggered the comeback, forcing a five-second inbound violation as the Pistons tried to start the fourth quarter.

Payne’s nonstop movement begins during pregame introductions as he runs laps around his teammates. And while he may have inspired most of the crowd during the game, he pointed out his inspiration.

“My mom was sitting not right behind the bench, but kind of up there,” he said. “And I was just looking at them like ‘let’s turn up, let’s turn up.’ I don’t know, sometimes when we’re on a run and I’m playing real good, sometimes I check out. My mind goes blank. I’m trying to get hype still. I don’t know, I just like having fun out there.”

The fun is stoking the 19,812 in attendance rather than annoying the Knicks, as he did last year in the playoffs as part of the 76ers.

“It feels good. Everybody’s on my side this time,” he said. “I ain’t most hated right now. But it’s fun.”

2. OG a demon on defense

For all the talk of having to defend Cunningham or any star with the whole team, in Game 1, Tom Thibodeau gave Anunoby the assignment of trying to contain the Pistons’ star guard. Anunoby limited Cunningham to 2-for-8 shooting, finished with five steals and two blocked shots, and won the matchup.

“Just tried to make it as difficult as possible,” Anunoby said. “Make his catches difficult; pressure him, be aggressive. Just try to force him into tough shots.”

“They sent bodies at me more than anything,” Cunningham said. “They made sure that every time I came off, they were checking me. “They were sending bodies at me all the time, trying to get the ball out of my hands.”

3. Foul play harms Pistons

The Pistons have pinned their turnaround from a 14-win team to a 44-win, sixth-seeded playoff team on a return to the Bad Boys era in franchise history. They believe that a hard-nosed bully-ball style will make up for a talent deficit behind Cunningham. And they came out with a physical style in Game 1, but all it got them was in early foul trouble.

While the referees allow more physical play in the postseason, Ausar Thompson was sent to the bench with two fouls just 2:39 into the game after Brunson baited him into a charge after Thompson already had been called for a foul while jockeying for position on an inbound pass in the backcourt. Malik Beasley then slapped the ball out of Brunson’s hands during a stoppage and shoved Brunson another time. The result? Brunson scored 12 of his 34 points in nine minutes in the fourth quarter.

“I felt like they had a good game plan,” Brunson said. “And I just had to reset. And I found a way to get going in the second half.”

None of the Pistons fouled out, but Jalen Duren, who had four fouls (two in the first quarter), will need to stay out of foul trouble if Isaiah Stewart is limited by a knee problem that had him sitting much of the fourth quarter.

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.