Defense, bench lead Knicks to comeback win over Pistons in Game 1

Cameron Payne scored 11 of his 14 points in the final quarter and got a clutch steal as the Knicks outscored the Detroit Pistons, 40-21, in a 123-112 comeback win. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is known for leaning hard on his starters, but Payne played 10 minutes off the bench in the fourth, finishing a game-high +23 in his 15 minutes.

The Knicks trailed the Pistons by eight points with 9:16 to go before going on a stunning 21-0 run. They held the Pistons scoreless for nearly five minutes, with Detroit shooting 0-of-9. The Knicks shot 10-of-13 in the run, and rebounded two of the misses themselves.

New York got defensive contributions from unlikely sources. Karl-Anthony Towns stole the ball from Cade Cunningham on consecutive possessions, then showed off with a no-look pass to Josh Hart for a layup.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 34 points, 12 coming in the final quarter. But the unsung hero for the Knicks was OG Anunoby, who scored 23 points, along with five steals and two blocks. As the primary defender on Cunningham, he helped limit the Pistons' All-Star to 8-of-21 shooting and six turnovers in his playoff debut, though Cunningham did deliver 12 assists.

What may have been truly shocking were the minutes from iron men Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. The pair were 1-2 in the NBA in minutes played this season, but they only logged 29 and 30 minutes, respectively. That's a far cry from last year's playoffs, when Hart played all 48 minutes in four different playoff games.

No one expected an extended rotation or lockdown defense from the Knicks this spring. Maybe Game 1 is a sign that this year's playoffs will end differently for the Knicks.