Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 20 rebounds, and the reigning champion New York Knicks got their first win of the season with a 111-97 victory over the previously unbeaten Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

After opening the season with losses to the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, the Madison Square Garden crowd looked to be headed toward another disappointment after the Pistons led 38-25 at the end of the first quarter.

New York’s defence held the Pistons to just 12 second-quarter points to turn the tide, and the Knicks exploded for 37 points in the third to lead by as many as 27.

Towns was 12 for 21 from the floor, and eight of his 20 rebounds came on the offensive end.

Jalen Brunson overcame a rough shooting night to score 23 points, thanks largely to 13 free throws. Andre Drummond played a key role off the bench, with the Knicks outscoring the Pistons by 15 in his 14 minutes. He finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Cade Cunningham just missed a triple-double for the Pistons, finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Starting in place of the injured Jalen Duren, Paul Reed had 22 points and nine rebounds.

Tatum’s buzzer-beater lifts Celtics in OT

Jayson Tatum made a jump shot at the buzzer to cap off a 40-point performance, and the Boston Celtics edged the Brooklyn Nets 125-124 in overtime for their third straight victory.

Boston led 117-114 late in regulation, but Brooklyn rookie Mikel Brown Jr. hit a game-tying 3-pointer with one second remaining to force the extra period.

In overtime, the Celtics trailed 124-119 before Tatum and Paul George each made a pair of free throws. Brown missed a layup with two seconds remaining at the other end, and Boston advanced the ball with a timeout with two seconds remaining.

Tatum received the inbound pass, took two dribbles to his left and rose up at the left elbow for the game-winning jumper.

Tatum finished 10 of 20 from the floor and made 18 free throws while also adding eight assists.

George had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Derrick White added 16 points for the Celtics.

Brown finished with 17 points and five assists off the bench for the Nets. Michael Porter Jr. led the way for Brooklyn with six 3-pointers, 12 rebounds and 27 points. Julius Randle added 24.

Blazers stay undefeated despite Luka’s 41

Ja Morant and Deni Avdija each had 23 points, Damian Lillard added 21, including a clutch 3-pointer, and the Portland Trail Blazers improved to 3-0 with a 136-129 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Fresh off a 52-point performance on Sunday, Luka Dončić made six 3-pointers and finished with 41 points and nine assists in the Lakers' first loss of the season.

The Lakers led 120-118 with under five minutes to play, but the Blazers made seven straight field goal attempts down the stretch to remain unbeaten.

That stretch started with a 3-pointer from Jrue Holiday, who finished with 22 points.

Austin Reaves scored 26 points for the Lakers, while Sandro Mamukelashvili added 17.