What Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns had to say after a players-only meeting amid a brutal slump

The The New York Knicks’ recent slump deepened on Monday night with a 121-90 loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, extending the team’s losing streak to four games and heightening concerns about its midseason direction.

Detroit dominated from the top despite being without starters Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris. The Pistons controlled the paint, dictated the tempo and held New York to one of its lowest points of the season, highlighting the problems that have plagued the Knicks throughout the skid.

After the game, the Knicks guard Jalen Brunson dealt with team fights in comments to Stefan Bondi of the New York Post.

“If we want to be the team we say we want to be, then we have to be better,” Brunson said. “So simple.”

Brunson led New York with 25 points, three rebounds and six turnovers in 31 minutes. He shot 10-for-21 from the field, 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, and converted all three of his free throw attempts. While his scoring kept the Knicks competitive early on, New York fizzled in the second half as Detroit pulled away.

Karl-Anthony Towns he echoed Brunson’s sentiment, pointing to deficiencies on both ends of the floor.

“We’ve got to get to the drawing board,” Towns said. “We’ve got to figure it out. Offensively, defensively, we’ve got to figure it out. It just hasn’t been good basketball from us lately.”

Karl-Anthony Towns’ struggles highlight the Knicks’ current slide

Towns struggled to find a rhythm against Detroit’s physical defensefinished with six points, one rebound and one assist. He committed six turnovers and shot 1-for-4 from the field, including 1-for-2 from three-point range, while going 3-for-3 at the free throw line. His minus-27 plus/minus rating reflects the team’s struggles during his 23 minutes on the court.

Head coach Mike Brown offered a rough assessment of the performance, emphasizing the Pistons’ physical dominance.

“It’s pretty simple. They just physically kicked our ass,” Brown said. “There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

The loss continued a troubling trend for New Yorkwhich dropped from second to third in the Eastern Conference standings despite a 23-13 record. During the four-game losing streak, the Knicks allowed the fourth-most points in the league at 124 per game, while averaging just 110 points, the third-fewest in the NBA during that span.

Defensive breakdowns, turnovers and inconsistent offensive execution have contributed to the slump, prompting increased urgency in the locker room as the Knicks try to stabilize before midseason.

New York will try to stop the skid when they return to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night to host the Los Angeles Clippers (13-22) at 7:30 PM ET. The matchup precedes a four-game road trip that begins Friday night against the Phoenix Suns (21-15), giving the Knicks a chance to reset as the schedule intensifies.