The New York Knicks have reached the 20-game mark and they’re not close to living up to their expectations.
New York has wallowed in mediocrity, unable to put together a solid stretch of performances. The Knicks have lost four of their last five, dropping to 9-11 as they make a quick visit to Detroit to face the Pistons on Tuesday.
The last two losses, both at home, have been particularly excruciating. They lost to Portland 132-129 in overtime, then fell to Memphis 127-123.
Jalen Brunson, the pricey free agent signed to get New York back into the postseason, missed two shots in the lane during the closing seconds against Memphis. Those misses came after Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant gave his team the lead with a putback.
Brunson finished with 30 points, the third consecutive time he reached the 30-point mark.
The Knicks already have beaten the Pistons twice, both at Madison Square Garden. The first meeting was a 130-106 blowout on Oct. 21. Then on Nov. 11, R.J. Barrett had a 30-point game in a 121-112 victory.
Following Tuesday’s contest, New York returns home for four games.
The Pistons have the worst record in the league (5-17), in part because they’ve been decimated by injuries. Star guard Cade Cunningham is pondering season-ending shin surgery.
A trio of other starters missed their 102-94 loss to Cleveland on Sunday. Bojan Bogdanovic and Jaden Ivey sat out with knee soreness while Isaiah Stewart was sidelined by a toe injury.
Saddiq Bey, the team’s other regular starter, scored 15 points after missing the previous four games due to an ankle injury.
Detroit led by five entering the fourth quarter but were then outscored 29-16.
The Pistons shot 53.8 percent in the first half and finished with a 45.6 percentage.
Free-throw shooting played a role as the Pistons missed 12 of 26 attempts in the eight-point defeat.
