Jalen Brunson Explains Knicks' New Approach After First Win of Season

A baseball comparison from guard Jalen Brunson turned out to be the best way to explain how the New York Knicks finally got into the win column on Tuesday night, as they beat the Detroit Pistons 111-97 at Madison Square Garden after losing their first three games of the season.

What he said after the game pointed to a team that won by doing a lot of small things right.

Detroit led 38-25 after the first quarter, but New York outscored the Pistons 63-25 across the next two quarters, with a 37-13 third quarter that took control of the game and handed Detroit its first loss of the season.

Center Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 20 rebounds, while Brunson scored 23 points on 5-of-18 shooting and made 13 of his 16 free throws to go with seven assists.

Six Knicks finished in double figures, with forward OG Anunoby and guard Landry Shamet scoring 13 points each, guard Mikal Bridges adding 12 and center Andre Drummond putting up 10 off the bench.

Brunson kept coming back to the whole group doing its part when he talked about the win.

"Just get on base and hit singles and just have everyone chip in and contribute," Brunson said in a postgame clip shared by SNY, before adding that attention to detail is a big point of emphasis for the team right now.

His answer lines up with the box score, since the Knicks bench scored 30 points against Detroit after scoring just 11 in Sunday's loss to Orlando, and guard Josh Hart had five steals while taking only two shots.

I think this version of the team can win a lot of games because it does not ask Brunson to carry the whole load on a night when his shot is off.

After the Orlando loss dropped New York to 0-3, Brunson told his teammates to control what they can control and stick together, and Tuesday was the first night I saw that message show up on the floor.

The Knicks play at the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night at the United Center in the second game of a back-to-back, with tip set for 8 p.m. ET and both teams sitting at 1-3.

Tired legs make it easier to settle for bad shots, which is why I like Brunson's focus on hitting singles going into this one.

Shamet gives the bench a shooter who can help carry that load, and I agree with Warriors forward Draymond Green, who called the deal Shamet signed in July a bargain.

Guard Jose Alvarado missed Tuesday's game with a left ankle sprain after showing up on the injury report for the Pistons game, and he is listed as day-to-day, so the Knicks may again lean on Shamet, guard Miles McBride and guard Tyler Kolek in the backcourt.

After Chicago, the Knicks visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, the same team that beat them on opening night.

One win does not erase an 0-3 start, but if the bench keeps scoring like it did against Detroit, I believe this group can turn a rough first week into a short slump.