The Knicks finally won a game, and Karl-Anthony Towns recognized the team doing it.
“We looked,” Towns said, “more like ourselves from last year.”
That would be the version that won a championship. After an 0-3 start, New York had given everybody plenty of reasons to wonder where that group went.
Tuesday’s 111-97 win over the Pistons offered an answer. Towns delivered 27 points and 20 rebounds, but the real change came defensively, as Jared Schwartz of the New York Post details.
Detroit scored 38 points in the first quarter. Over the next two quarters combined, it managed 25.
“We talked about it and we knew we needed to do it,” Jalen Brunson said. “I think the way we played that second quarter really turned things around and helped us take control of the game.”
Coach Mike Brown had described the early struggles with an assessment nobody needed an analytics department to interpret. “Our crap stinks. It does,” He said.
Well, this smelled considerably better.
RELATED | Stefan Bondy, Brett Siegel feud puts NBA media in spotlight
The Pistons were undefeated but missing Jalen Duren and Isaiah Joe. The Knicks still had to respond after falling behind by 13, and did.
“I thought we did a great job picking up the physicality,” Towns said. “And bringing a lot of energy to the game.”
One win doesn’t settle everything. But at 1-3, the defending champs can spend a day discussing something other than when they might finally get one.
Looking for the latest NBA Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow Hoops Wire on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NBA News and Rumors for all 30 teams!
