The NBA All-Star break can’t arrive soon enough for the New York Knicks, who are currently grappling with a slew of injuries. A week-long hiatus at Madison Square Garden seems to be just what the team needs to recuperate.
Another potential asset could be the addition of Jose Alvarado, whose energy and skill set would be a welcome boost for the Knicks.
As they faced off against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the Knicks were already dealing with a depleted roster. Notable players like Karl-Anthony Towns, sidelined with an eye injury, OG Anunoby, suffering from right toe soreness, and Miles McBride, recovering from core muscle surgery, were all absent. Adding to their woes, Josh Hart, who was already nursing a left ankle issue, aggravated it in the third quarter and had to leave the game. The Knicks ultimately suffered a crushing 118-80 defeat to the top-seeded Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
Despite the Pistons missing their formidable All-Star center Jalen Duren, they still managed to execute a physical game plan. This was particularly evident against Jalen Brunson, who struggled, hitting just 4-of-20 shots for a total of 12 points and four assists. With Towns unavailable, Mikal Bridges took up the offensive mantle, scoring 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting after a quiet game against the Denver Nuggets earlier in the week. However, the Knicks found it difficult to create additional scoring opportunities, as Hart contributed only five points, six rebounds, and two assists before his early exit. In the absence of Towns and Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and rookie Mohamed Diawara stepped in but managed a combined total of just eight points.
This loss ended the Knicks’ eight-game winning streak, casting a shadow as they prepare for a noon showdown against the Boston Celtics on Super Bowl Sunday.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, an All-Star himself, needed only 22 minutes to guide the Pistons to their 38th win of the season. While his shooting was modest—4-of-11 for 11 points—he also tallied seven assists and five rebounds. Teammates Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart each added 15 points. The game’s momentum shifted dramatically when Detroit’s bench took over late in the first quarter. The Pistons’ reserves scored over half of the team’s points, with Daniss Jenkins contributing 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and Paul Reed adding 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block.
The Knicks are now down, 0-2, to the Pistons with an average margin of defeat of 34.5 points after their 31-point loss in Detroit on Jan. 5. New York’s third and final meeting with the Pistons comes on Feb. 19, the Knicks’ first game out of the All-Star break.
Brown said he’s not surprised by the Pistons’ ascent to the East’s top seed.
“It’s great. They did a good job with it. They obviously drafted well and tried to develop the right pieces. From afar, that’s what it looks like, and when they hired [head coach] J.B. [Bickerstaff], I just knew it was going to happen because of who he is and his relationships with players and all that other good stuff,” he said ahead of tipoff on Friday. “So, they’re set up for a long time. With players and with J.B. as their head coach, as young as their players are, they can go on a long, long, long run.”
Luckily for the Knicks, reinforcements are en route. The Leon Rose-led front office traded Guerschon Yabusele to the Chicago Bulls for Dalen Terry, then flipped Terry alongside a pair of second-round picks to the New Orleans Pelicans for the Brooklyn-born Alvarado, who projects to slide seamlessly into the hole McBride leaves needing surgery to repair a core muscle injury.
Alvarado is a capable shooter and a pest on defense who averaged eight points and three assists for the Pelicans this season.
“I think he just brings a level of toughness to the team. His energy is unmatched. What he can do defensively in the full court and in the front court, especially on the ball, on the pick and roll and stuff like that,” Brown said ahead of tipoff on Friday. “We want to play fast, and he’s a guy that we believe would come in and help push the pace and get us into our offense and all that other stuff, because he’s quick. He’s got a low center of gravity, and he’s been around for a while. So, excited to have him.”
The Pistons, too, made their own trade deadline move, dealing scoring guard Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls in a three-team trade bringing sharpshooter Kevin Huerter to Detroit. Huerter, who played under Brown’s Sacramento Kings, checked into the game for the Pistons in the fourth quarter with Detroit nursing a 30-point lead and made his first basket with his new team with just over six minutes left in the final frame.
“He can shoot it, but his IQ, his feel, especially offensively, it’s second to none. He can pass it. He can handle it. Not only can he pass it, he can play make and then he can shoot it from all three levels,” Brown said of Huerter ahead of tipoff. “And then defensively, he’s bigger and longer than what you think, and he understands angles. So, he’s going to give you some problems on that end of the floor if you’re not careful.
“But great, great human being, and he’s definitely a winner. So, for Detroit to pick him up, that’s a win-win, probably for both sides. Because Kevin, I know I can imagine, Kevin is probably excited to be here.”
The Knicks have three games left until the All-Star break: Sunday in Boston, followed by a home-road back-to-back hosting the Indiana Pacers before visiting the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Though Brunson and Towns will spend at least part of the break in Los Angeles as Eastern Conference All-Stars, time off the court is what’s needed for the Knicks to make their playoff push.
