The Knicks’ roller coaster stretch took another plunge Monday – this time courtesy of Cade Cunningham.
The former No. 1 overall pick scored 18 points in the third quarter and another 11 in the fourth of the Detroit Pistons’ 124-119 win at Madison Square Garden, dealing the Knicks their fifth loss in the last seven games.
And for the second day in a row, one of the Knicks’ marquee stars picked up an injury.
Karl-Anthony Towns slammed his right hand into the backboard on a first-quarter dunk attempt, and while he remained in the game, he continued to hold his thumb and wore a pair of different wraps throughout the night.
It was an overall rough night for a Knicks team that failed to build on Sunday afternoon’s 140-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Garden, further demonstrating the high degree of variance that’s defined them this month.
They led, 63-59, at halftime but were once again outplayed in the second half.
The Pistons outscored the Knicks, 36-27, in the third quarter and made the necessary plays in the fourth, which they punctuated with Malik Beasley’s dagger 3-pointer in the waning seconds.
Indeed, the upstart Pistons proved a difficult matchup on the second night of a back-to-back.
With the Knicks trailing 116-114, Brunson’s pass glanced off Towns’ left hand with 1:48 remaining for a costly turnover. Cunningham would draw a foul on Towns on the next possession and convert both free throws.
Cunningham finished with a game-high 36 points.
Towns, meanwhile, missed two 3-pointers wide in the fourth quarter and drew an offensive foul with a minute remaining.
Monday’s game was reminiscent of the Knicks’ Jan. 3 loss in Oklahoma City, when the Thunder outscored them, 37-19, in the fourth quarter, and of a Jan. 4 loss in Chicago, when the Bulls outscored them, 38-17 in the third quarter.
Brunson, who played through a shoulder injury he sustained Sunday, led the Knicks with 31 points. Towns had 26.
The Pistons, meanwhile, improved to 2-0 at the Garden this season and 21-19 overall. They have won 10 of their last 12 games, further solidifying them as one of the NBA’s best stories after going 14-68 — and losing a single-season-record 28 games in a row — last year. The Knicks will look to get back on track Wednesday in Philadelphia against the 76ers.
