Without KAT, Knicks Fall To Pistons 120-111
If the New York Knicks wanted to see how important All-NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns was to them, Saturday night was the perfect way to do so.
Towns missed Saturday's contest against the Detroit Pistons with a knee injury and the Knicks struggled throughout the home contest dropping a 120-111 battle.
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart reacts after being ejected during a Dec. 7 game against the Detroit Pistons.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 31 points while Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby combined for 37 of their own. A goose egg on the scorerboard, though from Jericho Sims hurt New York's efficiency on offense.
Detroit had no issues with efficiency, jumping out to a 39-23 first-quarter lead thanks to the heroics of Cade Cunningham. The former first-overall pick recorded a triple-double Saturday with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists.
Malik Beasley poured in an additional 23 points off the bench helping Detroit's role players outscore New York's by a 39-26 margin.
A big part of those numbers, though, came due to the absence of Towns in New York's offense. He wasn't the only key player to not participate Saturday, either.
Top role player Cameron Payne missed the action Saturday due to a left elbow effusion. Knicks starting guard Josh Hart was also ejected in the fourth quarter after receiving his second technical foul.
Coming into the contest, the Knicks had been winners of 11 of their last 15 games. The loss to Detroit will move them to 14-9 on the season and will be playing the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
What's Trending
