The New York Knicks’ recent slide deepened Monday night with a 121-90 loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, extending the team’s losing streak to four games and intensifying concerns about its direction midway through the season.
Detroit dominated from the opening tip despite being without starters Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris. The Pistons controlled the paint, dictated the pace, and held New York to one of its lowest scoring outputs of the season, underscoring issues that have plagued the Knicks throughout the skid.
Following the game, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson addressed the team’s struggles in comments to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.
“If we want to be the team we say we want to be, then we’ve got to be better,” Brunson said. “Simple as that.”
Brunson led New York with 25 points, adding three rebounds and six turnovers in 31 minutes. He shot 10-for-21 from the field, 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, and converted all three of his free-throw attempts. While his scoring kept the Knicks competitive early, New York unraveled in the second half as Detroit pulled away.
Karl-Anthony Towns echoed Brunson’s sentiment, pointing to shortcomings on both ends of the floor.
“We’ve got to get to the drawing board,” Towns said. “We’ve got to figure it out. Offensively, defensively, we’ve got to figure it out. It just hasn’t been good basketball from us recently.”
Karl-Anthony Towns’ struggles highlight Knicks’ ongoing slide
Towns struggled to find a rhythm against Detroit’s physical defense, finishing with six points, one rebound, and one assist. He committed six turnovers and shot 1-for-4 from the field, including 1-for-2 from three-point range, while going 3-for-3 at the free-throw line. His minus-27 plus/minus rating reflected the team’s difficulties during his 23 minutes on the court.
Head coach Mike Brown offered a blunt assessment of the performance, emphasizing the Pistons’ physical dominance.
“It’s pretty simple. They just physically kicked our a**,” Brown said. “There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it.”
The loss continued a troubling trend for New York, which has slipped from second to third in the Eastern Conference standings despite holding a 23-13 record. Over the four-game losing streak, the Knicks have allowed the fourth-most points in the league at 124 per game while averaging just 110 points, the third-fewest in the NBA during that span.
Defensive breakdowns, turnovers, and inconsistent offensive execution have all contributed to the downturn, prompting increased urgency within the locker room as the Knicks attempt to stabilize before the season’s midpoint.
New York will look to halt the slide when it returns to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night to host the surging Los Angeles Clippers (13-22) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The matchup precedes a four-game road trip that begins Friday night against the Phoenix Suns (21-15), presenting the Knicks with an opportunity to reset as the schedule intensifies.
