Knicks heart Mitchell Robinson started Recreation 1 of New York’s Japanese Convention first-round sequence towards the Pistons on the bench, however he obtained followers out of their seats along with his second-quarter slam dunk.
Robinson rose above Pistons heart Isaiah Stewart for the ferocious one-handed jam off a miss on a floater from level guard Jalen Brunson, giving New York a one-point lead, 46-45, in a back-and-forth first half that ended with the Knicks holding a 57-55 benefit.
Robinson, a 2018 second-round choose (No. 36 total), solely performed 17 video games this season, debuting on Feb. 28 after rehabbing from May 2024 ankle surgery, his second process on the ankle in six months. He averaged 5.1 factors and 5.9 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per recreation as New York slowly labored him again into the lineup.
Robinson is a priceless rotation member behind the beginning heart, Karl-Anthony Cities, which provides New York high quality front-court depth.
Robinson performed 14 minutes within the first half, scoring six factors on 3-of-3 taking pictures, and including 5 rebounds (three offensive, two defensive), one steal, and one block.
The seven-year NBA veteran can be notably helpful towards the Pistons, one of many league’s prime inside-scoring groups. Per Team Rankings, Detroit is fifth within the NBA in factors within the paint per recreation (52.8). New York entered the playoffs with the second-worst block fee (4.5 p.c).
In a sequence with Brunson, Cities and Pistons level guard Cade Cunningham, Robinson is not one of many greatest stars for the primary spherical. However he might be among the many most essential.
