Monday was brutal for the New York Knicks. They walked into Little Caesars Arena hoping to break their losing streak. But the Detroit Pistons were relentless, thus handing Mike Brown’s boys their fourth heartbreak in the last five outings. The result? 121-90, the Orange and Blue squad ended the night with a 31-point deficit. However, the Knickerbockers’ biggest disappointment on Jan 5 was their star boy, Jalen Brunson.

Now, the 29-year-old guard suited up for the team and chipped in for 30 minutes. He scored a solid 25 points and picked up 3 rebounds. However, things went downhill with the assists as he bagged nothing there. Meanwhile, Brunson handed 6 turnovers to the No. 1 seed of the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks’ shaky defense tilted the match towards the Pistons. Therefore, when asked about the area the team has been lacking in lately, Mile McBride didn’t mince words. Speaking to the media, he said: “Man, did we play defense tonight?” Brutal!

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks head coach, Mike Brown, spoke to the media and somewhat solidified McBride’s claims of defensive fumble. “Everything’s on the table right now for us defensively,” Coach Brown said. “We have got to figure out, have to bring it physically, but we as a staff have to keep finding ways to help that group.”

Now, on Monday, the Knicks boss, James Dolan, made some major demands of the team. He said, “We want to get to The Finals, and we should win The Finals.” But lately, Jalen Brunson and Co. have been looking far from a championship-winning squad. Especially with Josh Hart sidelined with an ankle sprain, the Knicks are in their longest win drought since December 2022.

Given Monday’s disastrous defeat, it seems important to understand where and how New York faltered. Because the game stats look concerning, to say the least.

Jalen Brunson & Co.’s defensive setback vs. the Detroit Pistons

The Knicks collapsed defensively first. Detroit shot 54.7% overall on 47-86, while New York managed 42.1% on 32-76. Worse, the Pistons drilled 51.6% from deep, outpacing the Knicks 43.3%. That efficiency stretched coverage early. Consequently, Jalen Brunson’s side trailed in points per possession, 1.3 to 0.9, a decisive gap.

Meanwhile, the control of the glass exposed further cracks. Detroit dominated rebounds 44-30, including a punishing 14 offensive boards to the Knicks’ five. Those extra chances fueled 52 paint points and 21 fast break points. Add 25 assists to that mix, and the Pistons consistently found clean looks. In contrast, the Knicks produced only 15 assists, signaling stagnant defensive recovery.

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Moreover, ball pressure tilted the game completely. The Knicks coughed up 20 turnovers, gifting the Pistons 33 points off mistakes. Although New York logged seven steals, their 12 steals and 11 blocks from Detroit told the real story. Fouls leaned 17-15, yet damage was done. A 33-point lead summed it up as defense never stabilized for the NBA Cup champs.

Well, at the end of the day, defense does make a difference. But for Mike Brown, it was the eyesore they couldn’t recover from. The trip to Little Caesars Arena ended with a 31-point deficit for the Knicks as Jalen Brunson’s errors pointed to a much bigger concern. Now, the question is: Will New York recover from this setback? If yes, then when?