The New York Knicks are in the middle of their worst stretch of the season, with some of their early-season lethargy problems coming back to haunt them. On Monday night, the Knicks lost yet another game, their fourth in a row, but this wasn't just any other defeat; they were so poor on both ends of the floor as the top seed in the East, the Detroit Pistons, embarrassed them at Little Caesars Arena to the tune of a 121-90 demolition.
The Knicks' starters just weren't able to match the Pistons' energy and effort on both ends of the floor; they struggled a bit in the first half, with Detroit taking a 10-point lead into the halftime interval. But that deficit ballooned more and more the deeper they went into the second half, and New York had to pull the plug early.
“It’s pretty simple: they just physically kicked our a**,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
The Pistons hauled in nine more offensive rebounds than the Knicks did, and 14 more boards overall. Detroit went crazy in transition, scoring 33 points off turnovers and 21 points in the fastbreak — outscoring New York by 32 in those areas. And just to top it all off, the Pistons also shot over 50 percent from deep.
There was no way the Knicks were winning this game, not when Detroit outplayed them in every facet of the sport.
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Knicks face familiar problem in embarrassing loss vs. Pistons
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles in the second half against the New York Knicks at Little Caesars Arena.
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The Knicks have diagnosed in recent days that they struggle with physicality, and not even incorporating Mitchell Robinson into the starting five helped much in their 31-point loss to the Pistons.
Josh Hart's absence has played a huge role in the Knicks' languid play. There's no coincidence that they've gone 2-4 since Hart went down with an ankle injury.