“Expected to Get Jalen Brunson Some Help”: 2x All-Star Laments Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges’ Performances in Game 2

The New York Knicks have had championship aspirations ever since they acquired Karl-Anthony Towns just before the season, but last night’s game two loss has some fans wondering if they’ll even make it out of the first round. The Knicks lost to the Pistons 100-94 at Madison Square Garden, ceding home-court advantage to a team that beat them three out of four times in the regular season. The

Knicks struggled to beat the top teams in the league all year, but before they can worry about the Cavs and Celtics, they need to find a way past Detroit. So far, it’s not looking good. Jalen Brunson has been his typical spectacular self through the first two games of the series. He scored 37 points last night to go with his 34 in game one, but his teammates let him down last night.

The two big trade acquisitions of this offseason really let the Knicks down last night. Karl-Anthony Towns was nearly invisible, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds on just 11 shot attempts. Mikal Bridges came out hot in the first half, but he went scoreless in the fourth quarter and missed an open game-tying three with 12 seconds left.

Carlos Boozer appeared on Get Up to talk about the game, and he bemoaned the lack of support that Brunson has gotten from his teammates. “These were the guys that were expected to give Jalen Brunson some help,” Boozer said. “I felt like KAT just didn’t have a presence last night… Bridges had a huge first half and a nonexistent second half.”

The Knicks need more out of Jalen Brunson’s costars

The Knicks have trailed by eight points entering both fourth quarters in this series. That isn’t a recipe for success, even if they were able to steal game one. The Pistons are one of the most improved teams in NBA history, going from 14 wins a year ago to 44 this year. Now they’ve also won their first playoff game since 2008 and will be confident at home at the Little Caesars Arena.

Towns was great in game one, filling up the stat line with 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and two blocks. That’s the kind of performance the Knicks need from him, especially since head coach Tom Thibodeau is infamously averse to using his bench.

Outside of foul trouble, Towns and Bridges rarely come off the court. Bridges ranks third in the NBA in minutes per game, and of course hasn’t missed a game since being drafted in 2018. Towns ranks 20th, but third among players 6-foot-11 or taller. The rest of the Knicks’ starting five is all in the top 14.

The Knicks exited last year’s postseason bruised and battered, and though none of their top players are injured at the moment, they may be wearing down due to the heavy workload. Even if that’s the case, they’ll need to dig deep and fight through it, because the Pistons are beginning to believe in themselves. Winning a playoff game at Madison Square Garden will do that to you.

We’ll see if Towns and Bridges can get back on track on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.