Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns propel Knicks past Pistons second-half momentum to lead series 3-1

The Detroit Pistons stepped up big in the second half to threaten the New York Knicks’ likelihood of walking away with the 3-1 series lead, but Jalen Brunson (32 points) came up clutch for the Knicks, along with Karl-Anthony Towns (27 points) for the 94-93 victory. 

The game started with the Knicks asserting their dominance, and Brunson did not let the booing from the Detroit crowd stop him, constantly finding his teammates in the first for six assists.

Two of those assists were to Josh Hart, who was an asset from the three-point line, going 2-for-3 from three in the quarter. Towns also had a solid start, scoring seven points. 

And Brunson, despite going nearly the entire first half of the quarter without taking a shot, got his offense going by knocking down three jumpers – one of which was a three-pointer. 

Towns also made a three in the frame, and throughout the game, both were efficient from the three-point line. Brunson shot 4-for-7 while Towns shot 5-for-7 from three.

However, after scoring 29 points in the first frame, the Knicks lost their offensive spark in the second.

The Pistons, though, were unable to take advantage of this, allowing the Knicks to keep their lead. 

The Pistons struggled offensively; Cade Cunningham and Malik Beasley were able to score the basketball, but never found their rhythm to spark a big individual run. 

They also gave the Knicks 10 points off of free throws, providing their offense a source for nearly half of their points in the quarter, as their success from behind the three-point line in the first disappeared. 

After shooting 50% from behind the arc, the Knicks shot just 1-for-11 in the second. The Pistons, meanwhile, did not fair much better, shooting 2-for-10 from three. 

But, the Pistons  – thanks to Cunningham – turned the game around in the second half. 

After being quiet offensively in the first half with only six points, Cunningham dominated in the second half, finishing with 25 points. 

Without a single three-pointer, he managed to score 19 points in the final two quarters. The Knicks did not have an answer for him when he attacked the basket, and he was also valuable on the defensive end, having three blocks.

The Knicks could not stop him from finding his open teammates either, letting him dish out seven dimes. 

Two of those teammates were Tim Hardaway Jr. and Beasley, who stepped up late in the game. 

Beasley scored six in the third, knocking down a three-pointer with 6.2 remaining to give the Pistons a seven-point lead heading into the fourth. Hardaway knocked down two three-pointers in the fourth to help keep the Pistons in the game. 

Yet Brunson, returning to the game after exiting with an ankle injury, thrived by attacking the basket, scoring 15 fourth-quarter points to fight back. 

With 47 seconds remaining, Towns knocked down a 27-foot three-pointer to give them the one-point lead.

The Pistons did have a chance to retake the lead, but Cunningham missed the jumper, and when the ball got to Hardaway at the three-point line, he pump-faked, causing Hart to make contact with him. No foul was called as a result of the play, and the Knicks won.