NBA: Towns and Knicks overpower Pistons to get their season up and running

New York have finally got their season started. Beaten in their first three outings, the Knicks overcame Detroit 111–97 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday 27 October. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 27 points and 20 rebounds. But the game was won above all in two middle quarters in which the Pistons scored just 25 points.

Detroit take the first quarter, then the game turns

The visitors had the better of the start, though. Detroit scored 38 points in the first quarter and led by thirteen, 38–25. Starting in place of the absent Jalen Duren, Paul Reed gave the Pistons an offensive presence that the Knicks initially struggled to contain.

New York found their footing in the second quarter. Andre Drummond brought energy around the basket and Mikal Bridges rediscovered his range from distance. The Knicks held Detroit to twelve points in the period and went into the break with the narrowest of leads, 51–50. The deficit had been wiped out; the task now was to turn that comeback into a win.

Third quarter makes all the difference

The Knicks stepped up a gear straight after the restart. Brunson found his touch, Bridges kept punishing Detroit from three and steals handed the hosts fresh chances. The third quarter ended 37–13 to New York. With twelve minutes left, a score of 88–63 had transformed the contest.

Detroit won the final quarter 34–23, but that reaction came after most of the damage had been done. Between the start of the second quarter and the end of the third, the Knicks outscored the Pistons 63 to 25. That spell explains the result better than the final margin of fourteen points alone.

Towns rules the boards, Brunson finds the free-throw line

Towns made 12 of his 21 shots and pulled down eight offensive rebounds among his twenty. He added three assists, though he also turned the ball over seven times. His work under the basket gave the Knicks a solid foundation, and they finished with 49 rebounds to Detroit's 45.

Brunson scored 23 points and handed out seven assists despite a difficult shooting night: 5 of 18, with no success on five three-point attempts. His thirteen made free throws from sixteen attempts kept him contributing to the score. Bridges scored all twelve of his points from long range, hitting four of eight attempts.

OG Anunoby contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Off the bench, Landry Shamet scored 13 points and Drummond added ten points and eight rebounds in fourteen minutes. Josh Hart ended with five steals, on top of his six points and four assists.

For Detroit, Reed racked up 22 points and nine rebounds on 9 of 12 shooting. Cade Cunningham put up 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Those contributions did not make up for the collapse in the two middle quarters. The Pistons suffered their first defeat and move to three wins against one loss; the Knicks now have one win in four games.