Buckle up.
The Knicks appear to be in for a long series.
With a chance to bury the Pistons, they instead laid an egg for most of the evening.
Two nights after stealing Game 1, Tom Thibodeau’s team again was outplayed, and this time there wasn’t enough fourth quarter magic to overcome a shoddy first three quarters.
Cade Cunningham was the best player on the floor, as Detroit took home-court advantage in this best-of-seven, opening-round playoff series Monday night with a 100-94 victory at a quiet Garden to snap a 15-game playoff losing streak that dated back to 2008.
Only Jalen Brunson (37 points, seven assists) really brought it for the Knicks.
OG Anunoby, so good in the series opener, couldn’t slow down Cunningham, who had his way with the Knicks en route to 33 points and 12 rebounds.
Karl-Anthony Towns was held to an unimpressive 10 points, and the Pistons reserves piled up 35 points, 20 by journeyman guard Dennis Schröder, a thorn in the Knicks’ side.
Schröder hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 56.2 seconds left after Brunson had rallied the Knicks from a 15-point deficit.
Brunson and Mikal Bridges both missed game-tying 3-pointers in the final minute, and Bridges finished 3-of-11 from downtown.
It was a shaky performance overall for the Knicks, who committed 14 turnovers, were minus-14 on the glass and have been outscored by the Pistons by 16 points if you take away the fourth quarter of the two games.
A pivotal Game 3 is up next Thursday night in Detroit.
Similar to Game 1, the Knicks didn’t play particularly well in the first half.
They were sloppy, started shaky from deep and found themselves in a 13-point hole in the second quarter.
The Knicks missed their first eight 3-point attempts, committed 10 turnovers and didn’t attempt their first free throw until 17.4 seconds remained in the half.
The Pistons, meanwhile, went to the line 14 times, leading to a loud, “Ref, you suck” chant from the Garden faithful.
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When Brunson finally was awarded two free throws, there was a sarcastic cheer.
But despite so much going wrong, the Knicks only trailed by six at the break. Brunson (17 points, four assists) and Bridges (13 points, three steals) were the best players in orange and blue.
They scored nine points in a 14-5 run late in the half, the Knicks’ strongest stretch over the first two quarters.
They went back into the tank at the start of the third, managing just four points over the first 7:21 of the period.
They missed 10 of their first 11 shots and trailed by 15 when Jalen Duren finished off a Cunningham drive inside.
The Knicks did awaken and trailed by eight — just like Saturday night — entering the final 12 minutes, although their 67 points were their fewest through three quarters all year.
Miles McBride banked in a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, the kind of shot that made you think the Knicks had another rally in them.
But this time, the Pistons didn’t fold, and now the Knicks are facing the prospect of a long series.