Jalen Brunson did not shy away from responsibility following the New York Knicks’ 100-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on Monday night.
Despite scoring 37 points, the All-Star guard emphasized accountability and team composure in a postgame press conference.
“I feel like we got a lot of good looks, and they go down sometimes,” Brunson said. “But we can’t let missed shots affect us.”
The Knicks shot just 42 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three, missing several open looks in the final minutes.
Brunson acknowledged that the team must improve its in-game resilience: “You have to control what you can control… You can’t let up at any point.”
Karl-Anthony Towns, who led the team in Game 1, attempted only three shots in the fourth quarter and was limited to 10 points in Game 2.
Asked about Towns’ involvement, Brunson said, “It’s very tough when there’s only one ball. We have a lot of great players on this team… It’s on me to make sure I set the table.”
He added that communication will be key moving forward: “We’ll have conversations and come back better for Game 3.”
Detroit held an eight-point lead entering the fourth quarter and executed in crunch time, unlike Game 1 when they surrendered a double-digit lead.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 33 points and 12 rebounds, while Dennis Schroder added 20 points off the bench, including a pivotal three with under a minute to play.
Brunson addressed the officiating discrepancy, particularly the 14–2 free-throw disparity in the first half, which contributed to New York’s early deficit.
“Regardless of whether fouls are called or not, we’ve got to adjust,” he said. “I feel like we did that too late in the game.”
With the series tied 1-1, the Knicks will now look to regain control as the series shifts to Detroit for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Brunson said it’s on him to make sure the team is locked in from the jump: “We literally just need to be ready to go at 7:30 or whatever time the game starts.”
He added, “We’re going to win together, lose together, and learn together. It’s as simple as that.”
New York entered the playoffs as the East’s third seed, but will now face a confident Pistons team looking to take advantage of home-court momentum.
