DETROIT – The first six minutes told the story of a suddenly cohesive unit thrashing an overwhelming opponent.

• A backdoor cut into a Karl-Anthony Towns layup.
• A no-look pass from Towns over the shoulder to a cutting Jalen Brunson for a reverse layup.
• An alley-oop from Brunson to OG Anunoby.
• A jam from Josh Hart after a steal from Mikal Bridges.
• A Brunson backdoor cut into a layup after Bridges' assist.

At the end of this offensive phase, the Knicks were already 10 points ahead and snatched the fight against the woeful Pistons, who played like a deuce-seven offsuit poker hand and lost to New York for the 16th time in a row in the 128th game on Friday evening. 98 Cable-to-Cable Destruction.

The Knicks (3-2) led by 26 points after the first quarter, erasing their second-largest lead ever in the first 12 minutes.

They even increased by 33 points in the first half.

The Pistons never got closer than 22 after that.

When Leon Rose created these Knicks in the offseason, he must have been hoping to be in the starting lineup on Friday night – just the fifth game of the season.

Jalen Brunson, the captain, dismantled Detroit's defense, scoring 26 of his season-high 36 points in the first half.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who had been listed as questionable before kickoff with a sprained wrist, added 11 rebounds and seven assists for 21 points, two nights after losing at the Heat 44.

He continued to defy the “soft” label by assisting Pistons enforcer Isaiah Stewart for a layup attempt, an offensive rebound and a putback through contact in the second quarter.

Towns is shooting an incredible 65 percent of his 3-pointers to start the season and is hitting 3 of 6 on Friday.

OG Anunoby, the $212 million man, scored 21 points and six assists.

Mikal Bridges contributed 15 points with seven boards. Josh Hart had 13 points with nine rebounds.

The Knicks finished the game with 16 steals, including four from Miles McBride.

There was ball movement, unselfishness, cuts and dead-eye shots.

It was the Knicks' early Thanksgiving.

They were visitors to Little Caesars Arena and everyone was celebrating.

The Pistons (1-5), the shining example of the East's ineptitude this decade, have not beaten the Knicks since 2019.

Tom Thibodeau has never lost to them with New York, and he also owns Detroit's new coach JB Bickerstaff, who was hired over the summer after a four-year stay with the Cavs.

Bickerstaff's lowest point in Cleveland was probably his team getting crushed by the Knicks in the 2023 playoffs, and he knew the Knicks were different but the same.

“They are different. Adding players like Towns and Bridges gives them a different dynamic of players who can individually impact a game at a high level. Both guys are capable of having big nights, but I think they kept the heart and soul of the team and their spirit is the same,” Bickerstaff said. “I think losing Donte (DiVincenzo) was a bit of a change. I thought he did a great job for them too, but with the Josh Harts of the world, the Jalen Brunsons of the world, they keep the fight and the spirit that gives them a chance and that they're known for.

“They were able to maintain the defensive identity with Anunoby and Bridges as two-way players. They are always well trained. Thibs does a great job with his teams, but I don’t think the attitude towards them has changed with the personnel changes.”