The Knicks pulled out a huge 123-112 win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their first round matchup on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Here are some takeaways…
– The Garden was rocking and the Knicks responded with a strong start on both ends of the floor. New York did a good job suffocating Cade Cunningham defensively, and three of their starting five found the bottom of the basket to open an early advantage.
– Landry Shamet was the first man off the bench, subbing in after Josh Hart picked up two early fouls.
– OG Anunoby‘s offensive surge continued in the first quarter, knocking down five shots including a pair of threes for 12 points. New York limited Cunningham to just two points but his teammates stepped up and made baskets around him, evening things up at 27.
New York-native Tobias Harris had nine points and Malik Beasley drilled a pair of threes off the bench.
– Karl-Anthony Towns was held scoreless in the first, but he led the way for the second unit early in the second. The big man knocked down his first three field goals of the quarter and a technical free throw for defensive three seconds, to help the Knicks jump back in front.
– With Hart picking up his third foul early in the quarter, Towns received minutes alongside Mitchell Robinson, who provided a nice spark with a monster putback jam. The duo struggled defensively, though, as KAT lost Harris at times and the Pistons were able to keep things within shouting distance.
– Anunoby continued leading the way for New York with 19 first-half points, but Harris was just as good as he knocked down 7-of-10 from the field to lead all scorers with 22 points, making it a three-point game heading into the break.
– Former Knick Tim Hardaway Jr. stepped up for Detroit coming out of the break, helping them open the quarter on a 7-0 run to jump back in front. The Pistons continued finding different ways to get to the basket and they opened their largest lead of the game — before the Knicks came storming back.
– The rest of the quarter was back and forth, but back-to-back blocks from Dennis Schröder and Isaiah Stewart resulted in a five-point swing towards the Pistons, and suddenly the Knicks found themselves trailing by eight heading into the fourth.
– Desperate for a spark, Towns started the quarter knocking down back-to-back baskets. The Knicks used that to help push them back in front, regaining all of the momentum with an incredible 21-0 run, which helped them reopen a double-digit advantage.
Detroit was able to close the gap, but big buckets down the stretch helped the Knicks close out the Game 1 victory.
– Brunson led all scorers with 34 points on 12-of-27 shooting while dishing eight assists. Anunoby and Towns both finished with 23 points, Cameron Payne knocked down three threes and contributed 14 points off the bench (11 in the fourth), while Robinson had six points and six boards.
Bridges sat the entire fourth quarter and was a non-factor, finishing with just six points.
– New York did a really good job on Cunningham, holding him to just 21 points but he had 12 assists. Big man Jalen Duren was limited to just seven points and six boards. Harris stepped up with 25 points, Beasley had 20 points, and Hardaway Jr. had 19.
Game MVP: OG Anunoby
Anunoby was tremendous on both ends of the court, helping New York grab a Game 1 victory.
Highlights
Mikal’s mid-range 👀
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/yepLJ5M6Oo
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 19, 2025
Mitchell Robinson with the putback slam 🔥
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/v8VNejpALK
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 19, 2025
Brunson nails the triple! 🎯
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/oEBEJe8rX5
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 19, 2025
Hart ➡️ KAT
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/5e4n1vIDqn
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 20, 2025
Whats next
The Knicks and Pistons meet in Game 2 of the series on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
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