DETROIT — The New York Knicks came into Detroit looking forward to a showdown between the East’s best teams but walked away after a beatdown searching for answers.
The East-leading Pistons handed the Knicks their fourth straight loss in a 121-90 drubbing Monday night at Little Caesars Arena in a rematch of their thrilling first-round series last spring.
On this night, Jalen Brunson was cryptic, while Karl-Anthony Towns reminded everyone he has to make the biggest adjustment of anyone with the new coaching staff in place.
“A lot needs to be addressed,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said.
Brunson declined to elaborate on precisely what he meant, but when asked if the members of the team had any discussions amongst themselves before the media was allowed in, he said, “Yeah, a little bit.”
He continued.
“We just gotta respond. A lot more needs to be said. We keep it internal,” he said. “If we want to be the team we say we want to be, we have to be better, simple as that.”
Brunson led the Knicks with 25 points but had zero assists and six turnovers — matched by Towns — as the Knicks had 20 overall. Towns, who played just 23 minutes and was a minus-27, said “like [coach] Mike [Brown] said, I’m the big sacrifice.”
“It’s cool to be in a funk, [stuff] happens in the course of a season,” Towns said. “But this is a bad, bad time. You can’t be this bad.”
The Knicks didn’t lose four in a row last season, their longest losing streak stopping at three games. Their 23-13 record is one game off from where they were last season (24-12), and with the loss the Boston Celtics have passed them for second place in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks’ team defense has faltered in the absence of swingman Josh Hart, as it has gone from a middle of the pack team to allowing opponents to gash it recently. The Philadelphia 76ers scored 130 against the Knicks on Saturday and the San Antonio Spurs scored 134 on New Year’s Eve.
“It’s pretty simple,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “They just physically kicked our ass.”
Brown wouldn’t allow the excuse of the Knicks schedule — this was their third game in four nights — to write off the performance. Detroit played in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon and came in missing two starters, Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris, along with reserve Caris LeVert.
“Everything’s on the table right now for us defensively,” Brown said. “We have got to figure out, have to bring it physically but we as a staff have to keep finding ways to help that group.”
Brown stressed, “this is not time to panic,” but it comes on the heels of Knicks owner James Dolan going on New York radio earlier in the day, stating his expectation that the Knicks reach the NBA Finals.
The Knicks looked like anything but an NBA Finalist in what could be a conference finals preview.
The Pistons outrebounded the Knicks 44-30 and shot over 50% from the field and the 3-point line. Cade Cunningham had one of his most complete games of the season with 29 points, 13 assists, three rebounds and two blocks — and was serenaded with chants of “MVP” by the home faithful multiple times through the evening.
“We have to come together,” reserve guard Miles McBride said. “I don’t know if it’s effort, more effort. I don’t know if it’s X’s and O’s. We have to be on the same page [defensively].
“The coaches can draw whatever they want, but we as a team, we got to figure it out and lean on our leaders.”
