Brunson scores 36, Knicks rout Pistons 128-98 for 16th straight win over Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 15 of his 36 points in the first quarter as the New York Knicks beat Detroit 128-98 on Friday for their 16th straight victory over the Pistons.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for New York, which never trailed and led by at least 20 points for the final 40 minutes. OG Anunoby scored 21 points as the Knicks’ starters scored 106 points.

Cade Cunningham had 22 points for the Pistons, who fall to 1-5, and Tobias Harris added 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Knicks tripled the Pistons’ scoring in the first quarter, taking a 39-13 lead, and were never threatened.

Takeaways

Knicks: New York shot 62.5%, including 4-7 from the 3-point line, and only had one turnover in the first quarter, while the Pistons shot 28.6%, including 1-9 on 3s, and turned the ball over seven times.

Pistons: Detroit hasn’t won 25 games since the 2018-19 season, hasn’t had a winning season since 2015-16 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2007-08.

Key moment

Brunson outscored the Pistons 15-13 in the quarter as the Knicks built their comfortable first-quarter lead.

Key stat

New York forced 22 turnovers for 30 points, while the Pistons only got 12 points from 10 Knicks turnovers.

Up next

The Pistons travel to New York to play the Nets on Sunday, and the Knicks visit the Rockets on Monday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba