Knicks get first win, beat unbeaten Pistons 111-97 behind Karl-Anthony Towns' 27 and 20

The defending champion New York Knicks finally have a win. Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 20 rebounds, and the Knicks beat the previously unbeaten Detroit Pistons 111-97 on Tuesday night, Oct. 27, at Madison Square Garden.

The win kept New York from an 0-4 start. According to the Associated Press, a loss would have made the Knicks only the second defending champion in NBA history to open 0-4, matching the 1969-70 Boston Celtics. It was New York’s first victory since Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Detroit fell to 3-1, and the Knicks are 1-3.

Pistons vs. Knicks: final score

Line score per ESPN.

Detroit came out hot and led by 13 after the first quarter. New York held the Pistons to 12 points in the second quarter to take a 51-50 halftime lead, then broke the game open after the break.

The third quarter that changed everything

The Knicks outscored Detroit 37-13 in the third quarter. The AP described it as a stretch that “resembled the Knicks of last spring, not the team” that had lost its first three games.

• An 11-0 start: Jalen Brunson hit his first three shots of the half, and Mikal Bridges added a 3-pointer as New York opened on an 11-0 run to lead 62-50.
• Towns takes over: Towns scored seven straight Knicks points later in the period.
• A buzzer-beater: A 12-2 burst to end the quarter, capped by Josh Hart’s 3-pointer at the horn, made it 88-63.

Detroit won the fourth quarter 34-23, but the 25-point cushion was far too much to erase.

Towns answers his coach’s challenge

Towns had eight points and nine rebounds at halftime, according to Sporting News. Pistons center Paul Reed, starting in place of the injured Jalen Duren, had 15 points by then and was hurting New York on the offensive glass.

Coach Mike Brown said he was direct with his center at the break. “I just told him the truth,” Brown said, as quoted by Sporting News. He said he told Towns that Reed was “killing us on the glass,” and that he needed to guard Reed on the perimeter too. Towns scored 19 points after halftime and finished 12 of 21 from the field, with eight offensive rebounds.

Player stats

Stats per NBA.com.

Brunson came into the night shooting 39% for the season and started 1 of 9 in the first half, the AP said. He finished 5 of 18 but made 13 of 16 free throws. Bridges made his first four 3-pointers of the season and finished 4 for 8 from deep.

For Detroit, Cunningham shot 7 of 18. The Pistons made just 9 of 37 3-pointers (24%), and Duncan Robinson went 2 for 10 from beyond the arc, per NBA.com. Ausar Thompson fouled out.

A role reversal in the rivalry

Detroit had handled New York better than anyone last season. The AP noted that the Pistons beat the Knicks 121-90, 118-80 and 126-111 in 2025-26 and had won the last six regular-season meetings. Detroit was trying for its first 4-0 start since 2018-19.

What’s next

Both teams are right back at it on Wednesday night, Oct. 28. The Pistons host the Charlotte Hornets, and the Knicks visit the Chicago Bulls.

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