Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns carried the Knicks into the win column at last, powering New York past the Detroit Pistons, 111-97, on a night when the defending champions finally shook off an 0-3 start to the 2026-27 season.
The comeback took shape after New York dug itself out of a 13-point second-quarter hole, then controlled the second half behind Towns’ dominance and Brunson’s steadying presence. Together, the pair scored 50 points and helped the Knicks turn a rough opening stretch into their first victory of the year.
Brunson didn’t have his cleanest scoring night by any stretch. He opened looking out of rhythm, finished with 23 points, seven assists and one rebound, and shot 5-for-18 from the floor while missing all five of his three-point tries. Still, he found a way to make damage at the stripe, where he piled up 13 points on 13-for-16 shooting.
After the game, Brunson pointed to the team’s defensive response and the way New York settled in after the early deficit.
“I think we were able to get stops, run a little bit, and create a good enough lead. We knew they were going to make a run and fight back, but we just found a way to win tonight. We have to continue to build off this,” Jalen Brunson said about how the Knicks turned things around in the second quarter.
He was also asked what the victory means for the group’s mindset.
“A lot,” Brunson said about what this win does for the team’s psyche. “I’m just very thankful at this point. Very thankful.”
Brunson continued by stressing patience with a roster that is still learning how to play together.
“I think most importantly, we have to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. This is a new year, and we have a new team. Adversity started early, so we just have to fight back,” Jalen Brunson added about how this win helps the defending champions’ relatively new roster.
He closed his sideline session with a simple message about learning from both sides of the ledger.
“Yeah, I know we have a long way to go, but obviously, we want to learn from wins just as much as we do from losses. I’m just happy we came away with a win today,” Brunson concluded his sideline interview.
Later, in the locker room, Brunson expanded on the same theme, framing the Knicks’ first win as a step rather than a finish line.
“Just sticking together, chipping away, and making sure we continue to hit singles,” Brunson said about how this win can influence the Knicks’ form. “Just get on base and hit singles, and have everyone chip in and contribute.”
“Focus on the little things until we find our rhythm. Once we find our rhythm, continue doing the little things. That’s a big point of emphasis right now: our attention to detail,” Jalen Brunson concluded.
If Brunson helped stabilize the Knicks, Towns drove the surge. He was the most impactful player on the floor, finishing with 27 points, 20 rebounds and three assists while shooting 12-for-21 from the field and 1-for-5 from beyond the arc. His production gave New York the edge it needed to pull away after halftime.
In the locker room, Towns kept the focus on what comes next.
“Gotta get the next one. The only thing on the mind. Just build off of this game and continue to improve as a team,” Towns said as his key takeaway from the game.
Asked what changed after the break, he credited the Knicks for tightening up their approach.
“I thought we did a better job picking up on our intensity and our physicality, and we executed at a high level. We’ve got to worry about the controllables, which is playing our best,” Karl-Anthony Towns responded.
The result lifted New York out of the league’s winless group and gave the defending champions their first taste of victory this season. The challenge now is turning one good night into something sturdier, especially with chemistry still being built around a relatively new roster.
The Knicks will get their next chance quickly, facing the Bulls tomorrow night at the United Center in Chicago.
In Other News...
Knicks May Have Pulled Off Another Quiet Draft-Night Win
The Knicks used the 30th pick on Sergio de Larrea, then quickly turned that selection into a different kind of asset by sending his rights to the Mavericks for two future second-round picks. It was the sort of maneuver that fits neatly with how New York has tried to work around its salary cap limitations, squeezing value wherever it can find it instead of simply standing pat on draft night.
De Larrea was already playing professionally in Spain, and soon after the draft he helped Valencia win the Liga ACB title, adding another layer to a player the Knicks never intended to keep. New York also knew Dallas had been linked to him and had the front office ties to make the deal work, which is why this looked less like a pass on a prospect and more like a calculated bet on information and timing. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Got Pulled Into A Wild Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Idea
The Knicks have been pulled into an early-season trade idea that already feels bigger than the standings around it. Miami opened with a 0-4 start after reshaping its roster in a blockbuster deal with Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, and the rough beginning has only fueled chatter about how the new pieces fit with Bam Adebayo still anchoring the frontcourt.
What makes the speculation more interesting from New Yorks side is the path some are floating to get there: a swap centered on Adebayo and Tim Hardaway Jr. for Karl-Anthony Towns. Nothing has been confirmed by Miami, and the Heat could easily give the group more time to settle in, but the mere fact the Knicks are part of this kind of conversation says a lot about how quickly the league starts chasing the next big idea when a new roster stumbles out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Already Have A Real Andre Drummond Debate On Their Hands
Andre Drummonds first few weeks as the Knicks backup center have already turned into a small but real rotation conversation. He opened the 2026-27 season with a double-double, then saw his minutes dip in the next games as Mike Brown adjusted the lineup, a familiar kind of early-season sorting-out process for a team still figuring out how it wants to use its depth. Even so, Brown has made clear Drummond remains in the backup mix, which matters for a bench frontcourt that needs a dependable presence when the starters sit.
Drummond gave the Knicks a reminder of why that role is worth monitoring in the win over Detroit, when he scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 14 minutes. It was a cleaner, more productive showing than some of his earlier outings, and it gave New York a useful glimpse of what he can offer when the minutes are there. The larger question now is whether that performance is the start of a steadier climb back into a bigger share of the center rotation. [Read more 🡒]