It was a tale of two halves as the New York Knicks got their first win of the season over the undefeated Detroit Pistons, 111-97.
You could see the relief on Jalen Brunson‘s face in a postgame interview with NBC:
“We just found a way to win tonight,” Brunson said. “Very thankful at this point, very thankful…Most importantly, we gotta remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. This is a new year, a new team…We have a long way to go. We want to learn from wins as much as we win from losses.”
Brunson’s first half was par for the course this season: nine points on one-for-nine shooting. But he found his footing in the second, finishing the night with 23.
Perhaps the biggest development for the Knicks, however, was Mikal Bridges. After scoring just 10 points in the first three games, he put in four threes in the win.
Related: he’s only made four threes this season. Finding ways to get Bridges involved on the offensive end will continue to be a focus for head coach Mike Brown.
Then there’s Karl-Anthony Towns, the league’s leading talent who’s yet to sign an extension. But you wouldn’t know it. He recorded his fourth-straight double-double, tallying 27 points and 20 rebounds in a monster effort.
From the bench unit, Landry Shamet shined based on effort alone. His movement shooting will be a necessity, not a luxury, for the Knicks this season.
Shamet finished the night with 13 points and three assists in 28 minutes.
New York is on the board. They’ll look to keep it rolling on Wednesday night as they play visitor to the Chicago Bulls. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm EST.
