Jalen Brunson scores 36 points as Knicks rout Pistons, 128-98

DETROIT — A trap game, it was not.

After starting their season with four consecutive matchups against likely Eastern Conference playoff contenders, the Knicks faced a different kind of challenge Friday night in Detroit: staying focused against a rebuilding team with eyes on the lottery.

The Pistons, coming off back-to-back seasons with the NBA’s worst record, entered Friday’s matchup at 1-4. Despite offseason roster changes and a new head coach, Detroit appears destined for another year at the bottom of the standings. For a Knicks team intent on competing for a championship, games like these can be the perfect setup for a letdown. But New York kept its foot firmly on the gas, securing a decisive 128-98 victory over the Pistons in a wire-to-wire blowout.

Fueled by a blistering first quarter from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks jumped to a 39-13 lead and never looked back.

“Just the way we kept fighting,” Brunson said in his walk-off interview. “I don’t think we took our foot off the gas — maybe just a couple of minutes. ... I really liked our defense today.”

Brunson finished with a game-high 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting, resting the entire fourth quarter. He scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the opening quarter and had 26 points by halftime, a welcome return to form after shooting struggles against Miami and Cleveland.

As Brunson set the tone, his teammates followed. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 21 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists; OG Anunoby added a season-high 21 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals; Mikal Bridges contributed 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists; and Josh Hart posted 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists. New York’s lead swelled to as much as 38 points in the fourth quarter before coach Tom Thibodeau emptied his bench with five minutes to play.

The game also marked the fourth straight outing in which all five Knicks starters scored in double figures — a feat last accomplished in the 1988-89 season when Patrick Ewing, Mark Jackson, and Charles Oakley led a Knicks team with deep playoff aspirations.

For the second consecutive game, the Knicks recorded 30 assists, with six players tallying at least three. Miles McBride, with 10 points and two assists, was one assist shy of making it seven Knicks with multiple assists on the night.

“We were just trying to make the right play at the right time while still trying to stay aggressive,” Brunson said. “Any given night, we have a bunch of guys who can have big nights on the stat sheet.”

On the Pistons’ side, franchise cornerstone Cade Cunningham led with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, though no other Detroit player topped 13 points. While the Pistons’ starters shot a respectable 45%, the team as a whole was careless with the ball, committing 22 turnovers. They were unable to keep up with the Knicks’ 3-point barrage. After taking fewer than 30 3s in each of their first three games, New York shot 40 3s against Miami and 38 against Detroit. The Knicks made 18 3s on Friday, led by six on eight attempts from Brunson plus another three each from Towns, Bridges and Anunoby.

“Ball was going in. Still gotta work on a couple of other things, but we’re starting to put the pieces together a little bit,” Brunson said. “I’m happy with where we are. We’ve gotta continue to get better.”

The Knicks are now 2-0 on their four-game road trip. Next, they face the Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks before returning to Madison Square Garden to host Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 8.