Knicks beat Pistons 111-97, ending Detroit's perfect season

Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double with 27 points and 20 rebounds as the New York Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 111-97 on Tuesday night. The victory prevented New York from joining the 1969-70 Boston Celtics as the only defending champions to start a season 0-4. It marked the Knicks' first win since Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Jalen Brunson, who had struggled in the first half, led a decisive third-quarter run. He scored 23 points total for the game. New York outscored Detroit 37-13 during that period, building a 25-point lead against the team that had beaten them in all three previous meetings this season.

Mikal Bridges contributed 12 points, hitting his first four three-pointers of the season. Josh Hart sank a three-pointer at the buzzer of the third quarter to extend the lead to 88-63. That score followed an 11-0 opening run by New York, which included a three-pointer by Bridges and early baskets by Brunson.

Detroit's Cade Cunningham finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. The Pistons, who had won their first three games of the season, dropped to 3-1. Paul Reed started at center in place of the injured Jalen Duren, scoring 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

The Knicks had lost three straight games to Philadelphia, Boston, and Orlando before Tuesday. Those losses left them with the same number of defeats as they had in the first 19 games of their title-winning run last season. Detroit had defeated New York by scores of 121-90, 118-80, and 126-111 earlier in the 2025-26 season.