The Pistons got their wish of stealing at least one of the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks with a 100-94 win. Detroit went scoreless for five-plus minutes in the fourth quarter as New York mounted a comeback, but it wasn't enough.
The Knicks' offense, which has been a strong point this season, went cold during several stretches throughout the game on Monday. Jalen Brunson kept New York in the game with his 37 points, but he shot 12-of-27 from the field. He was frustrated because he wasn't getting the calls he wanted. There was a free-throw disparity (the Pistons shot 34 free throws, while the Knicks shot 19), but that's no excuse for the loss.
Brunson was the only starter to score at least 20 points, with Mikal Bridges finishing with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field and 3-of-11 from three. Karl-Anthony Towns was too much of a non-factor, scoring only 10 points (5-of-11 from the field, 0-of-2 from deep). He didn't score at all in the second half.
The Knicks have a slim margin for error, and it didn't help that their bench was nonexistent outside of Miles McBride. He scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting. What about the rest of the second unit? They combined for a whopping zero points.
Pistons' bench outscores Knicks, 36-8, in Game 2 win
Mitchell Robinson led New York's bench with 20 minutes. He didn't score on the two shots he took, but he posted seven rebounds and one assist. McBride played 13 minutes. Landry Shamet played five minutes and didn't attempt a shot, while Cam Payne also didn't take a shot in four minutes.
Payne was the star of the show in Game 1, finishing with 14 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting. The opposite version of that player showed up on Monday. He got into foul trouble early, picking up three fouls.
The Knicks no longer have the luxury of having the deep bench they once did after making several trades over the past couple of years.
Donte DiVincenzo was supposed to be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate after the Bridges trade, but he was sent to Minnesota. His departure has been felt throughout the entire season. New York can't bring DiVo back because he's busy trying to help Minnesota get to four wins before the Lakers do.
The Knicks can't afford to have another game like the one on Monday. Someone other than Brunson will have to step up. McBride can't be the only player to score off the bench, either. Not when the Pistons have Dennis Schroder going off for 20 points.