Karl-Anthony Towns leads Knicks past Pistons 111-97 for their first win

NEW YORK (AP) — In a pivotal moment for the defending NBA champions, the New York Knicks avoided a disastrous 0-4 start by defeating the Detroit Pistons 111-97 on Tuesday night. Central to the Knicks' success was Karl-Anthony Towns, who contributed 27 points and 20 rebounds. Jalen Brunson's dominant third quarter, reminiscent of last season's title-winning squad, was instrumental as he scored 23 points.

Mikal Bridges made his first four 3-pointers of the season and added 12 points. The Knicks' third-quarter surge, outscoring the Pistons 37-13, created a 25-point cushion. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Detroit had won the previous six meetings, including a 3-1 series loss to the Knicks in the 2025-26 regular season.

Paul Reed scored 22 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who sought their first 4-0 start since the 2018-19 season. The Spurs and Sacramento battled to a 130-103 home win, with Victor Wembanyama scoring 29 points and Domantas Sabonis adding 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs. The Spurs evened their season record at 2-2, surpassing their previous high of 15 3-pointers in a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Boston avenged their season-opening loss to Brooklyn with a 125-124 overtime victory. Jayson Tatum's overtime buzzer-beating jumper secured the win, despite Mikel Brown's clutch 3-point attempt falling short in the final seconds.