Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks couldn’t win against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. The Knicks had an advantage with a complete and healthy group. The Pistons, meanwhile, didn’t have Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, as they were serving their suspension they received due to an altercation with the Charlotte Hornets.
Even with that, New York couldn’t get the win and suffered a 126-111 loss to the best team in the East. The Pistons completed a 3-0 season series sweep, handing the Knicks their third consecutive defeat of the year. After the contest, Towns had a blunt message regarding the team’s performance.
“Beat us fair and square every time,” Towns said. “Tonight, obviously, was a better showing than the first two, but there’s no moral victories nor was it what New York wants to see. But we got a lot of film and if we’re seeing each other in the playoffs, we gotta be ready.”
"Beat us fair and square every time…tonight obviously was a better showing, but there's no moral victories"
– Karl-Anthony Towns on the Pistons pic.twitter.com/b832jtZYBF
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 20, 2026
Karl-Anthony Towns struggled to score for the Knicks in the first half and only had two points. Fortunately for the star big man, he had a better outing in the second half and finished with 19. But that wasn’t enough as New York fell to 35-21 this season.
Karl-Anthony Towns says regular-season games are important for a potential matchup against the Pistons
The Knicks and Pistons have a bit of history, which was re-ignited last year when New York eliminated Detroit after six games in the first round of the playoffs. This season, the Cade Cunningham-led team is different. They have performed better and could face Karl-Anthony Towns and the group in the postseason.
After the contest, Towns explained how important regular-season games are for a potential postseason matchup.
“It means a lot, I think it does,” he said. “It builds a confidence going into a series and also you have great film to see what did work against our team and against their team.”
The Knicks have had a lot of ups and downs this season. But they remain competitive and prepared for whichever team they could face in the playoffs.
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