Home BASKETBALL NBA Knicks Come Back, Celtics Survive in OT, Spurs Roll — NBA Roundup

Knicks Come Back, Celtics Survive in OT, Spurs Roll — NBA Roundup

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Knicks Vs Pistons
Knicks' epic comeback

Comebacks in Detroit, a buzzer-beater in Brooklyn, dominance in San Antonio and a perfect start preserved in Los Angeles, Tuesday night had it all.


Knicks hold Pistons to 25 points in two quarters, Tatum drops 40, Wemby 29-10-5...


The reigning champion New York Knicks are finally on the board, earning their first win of the season with a 111-97 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday behind 27 points from Karl-Anthony Towns and 23 from Jalen Brunson.


The Knicks, who ended a five-decade title drought back in June but opened this season with three straight losses, shook off another slow start at Madison Square Garden to pull away in the second half.


The win also kept them out of the history books for the wrong reason avoiding becoming the first defending champions since 1969 to open the following season 0-4.


“We've got to remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. This is a new year, new team,” said Jalen Brunson, last season's Finals MVP who added seven assists on the night.


“Adversity started early, so we just got to fight back.”


Detroit unbeaten through its first three games looked poised for another win after racing to a 13-point lead early in the second quarter, fueled by Paul Reed and Cade Cunningham.


Brunson, meanwhile, endured a cold start, hitting just one of nine shots in the first half.


New York flipped the script from there, scraping to a one-point lead at the break before exploding in the third to go up by as many as 25.






The key was defense. The Knicks held the Pistons to a combined 25 points over the second and third quarters.


“I think we were just able to get stops, run a little bit, create a good enough lead, knowing that they were going to have a run in them to fight back,” said Brunson.





Looking ahead to a home game against Charlotte on Wednesday and facing a 21-point deficit, Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff cleared his bench with seven and a half minutes left.




New York kept its starters on the floor, and Towns capped his big night with 20 rebounds to go with his team-high scoring total.


The Pistons, who finished last season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, dropped to 3-1. Reed led them with 22 points, while Cunningham finished with 19 points, eight assists and nine rebounds.


Wembanyama powers Spurs past winless Kings

Victor Wembanyama put on a show to lift the San Antonio Spurs to a 130-103 rout of the Sacramento Kings, finishing with 29 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and two steals.


The Spurs, who fell to the Knicks in last season's Finals, had stumbled out of the gate with two losses to start the year but improved to 2-2 with the win.






San Antonio ran riot in the first half, taking an 80-54 lead into the break as Wembanyama dropped 23 points before halftime, and never let the advantage slip in a comfortable second half.




Julian Champagnie added 26 points. The Kings dropped to 0-4.




The Brooklyn Nets entered Tuesday still searching for their first win, drawing a tough assignment against a loaded Boston Celtics team that has barely skipped a beat despite its offseason changes. Even so, Brooklyn made Boston work for every possession.


Down by one at the very end of overtime, Jayson Tatum buried a game-winning buzzer-beater to give the Celtics a dramatic 125-124 victory over the winless Nets.


It was tense from tip to final buzzer, with neither side able to build a double-digit lead. Tied 117-117 after regulation, the game delivered arguably the most exciting finish of the young season so far.






Tatum finished with 40 points and eight assists, while Paul George chipped in 20. Four of Boston's five starters scored in double figures as the Celtics battled their way to the win and improved to 3-1 on the season.


Blazers Stay Perfect, Hand Lakers Another Loss

In the nightcap, the Portland Trail Blazers outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers 136-129 on the road to stay unbeaten in the West at 3-0, while the Lakers slipped to 1-3.
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