Pistons can't overcome terrible first quarter in 30-point loss to Knicks

Detroit — If the Detroit Pistons took a step forward in their development against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, then the team took several steps in the wrong direction on Friday. The Pistons posted their worst performance of an early season with a 128-98 loss to the New York Knicks at Little Caesars Arena.

The loss dropped the Pistons to 1-5 on the season and extended their losing streak against the Knicks to 16 games. Detroit's last win over New York was in the 2019-20 season. In Philadelphia, coach JB Bickerstaff believed his team had turned the corner in terms of turnovers. Unfortunately, it took one game for the Pistons to return to their problems.

“It was our level of competition, there’s no doubt about that,” Bickerstaff said. “We didn’t approach the game in a mature way tonight. For us, again, all of these things are things we're constantly learning, and sometimes you have to get kicked to learn the hard way.”

The Pistons recorded seven giveaways in the first quarter, contributing to an early 12-point deficit with 6:03 remaining. There was a moment when four of Detroit's six offensive possessions resulted in a turnover. By the end of the quarter, the Pistons had scored seven goals.

They finished the game with a season-high 22 turnovers, which led to 30 points for the Knicks. In addition to their turnover problems, Detroit couldn't buy a basket and shot an abysmal 6 of 21 from the field.

The Knicks made the Pistons pay for every mistake they made. They started the night shooting 62.5% from the field. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks scoring 15 of his season-high 36 points in the period. He finished the night shooting 14 of 22 from the field and made six three-pointers.

BOX POINTS: Knicks 128, Pistons 98

“He just knows the ins and outs of the game,” Cade Cunningham said. “He knows how to get to a point. He is physical. He can knock down shots at a high level. All of these things make him a really strong guard. It takes a group to protect him and we just couldn't do it. Game plan.”

The Pistons had a solid offensive performance in the second quarter. They outscored the Knicks 33-30 and hit on 66.7% of their shots, with Cunningham leading the way with 10 points.

However, Detroit's play in the second period wasn't enough to offset the subpar performance in the first 12 minutes. The Pistons trailed the Knicks 69-46 at halftime. Cunningham finished the game with a team-high 22 points on 10 of 17 shooting, six rebounds and six assists.

“It was a really bad start in the first group in particular,” Cunningham said. “When we return to our home fans we have to set the tone early. This is a really good team. The main thing is just to be a better first group, set the tone and bring some energy.”

Karl-Anthony Towns, who was questionable for the game due to a left wrist injury, contributed 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the win. OG Anunoby added 21 points, six assists and four rebounds.

After recording his first double-double of the season in a win against the Sixers, Tobias Harris finished the game with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Jaden Ivey contributed 10 points and five rebounds in the loss. Simone Fontecchio gave the Pistons a little boost off the bench. He scored a season-high 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting and four rebounds.

The Pistons will play their second straight set this season in an away game against the Brooklyn Nets starting Sunday afternoon. They then return to Little Caesars Arena on Monday to take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff between the Pistons and Nets is scheduled for 3:30 p.m

Observations vs. Knicks

Bickerstaff may have found a new five-man lineup

Bickerstaff said he was trying to find something that would give the Pistons some “juice” after their terrible first-quarter performance. His desperation led to an upheaval in his rotation early in the second period as he moved to a new unit with Marcus Sasser, who recorded DNPs in the last three games.

The lineup of Fontecchio, Sasser, Malik Beasley, Ron Holland and Isaiah Stewart fueled a 15-8 run that contributed significantly to the Pistons scoring 33 points in the second quarter. Bickerstaff has repeatedly stated that one of his goals early in the season is to find several of the best five-man lineups, and he may have discovered a new one against the Knicks.

Sasser finished the game with the team's highest plus/minus of +12. Of the 10 players who played 16 or more minutes, Sasser is the only one who performed positively.

Quite a block party

The Pistons' subpar offensive performance overshadowed anything positive against the Knicks. The Pistons had arguably the quietest block party in franchise history, finishing the game with nine players. Tobias Harris led the way with a team-high three blocks, while Isaiah Stewart and Paul Reed each added two blocks off the bench.

A deeper look into a terrible first quarter

The Knicks outscored the Pistons 39-13 in the first quarter. However, they only outscored Detroit by five points over the rest of the game. The Pistons' poor performance in the first frame resulted in the league's third-fewest points in a quarter so far this season.

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Pistons can't overcome terrible first quarter in 30-point loss to Knicks

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Observations vs. Knicks

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