Karl-Anthony Towns‘ deep 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining in regulation Sunday gave the New York Knicks a one-point lead in an eventual 94-93 victory in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series with the Detroit Pistons.
The Knicks lead the series 3-1 and can close out the series in Game 5, scheduled for Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
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Detroit had two opportunities to take the lead, but Cade Cunningham lost the ball while driving to the basket following Towns’ 3-pointer. After Jalen Brunson missed a floater with 13 seconds left, the Pistons had one last shot. But Cade Cunningham missed a jumper from the foul line. Tim Hardaway Jr. appeared to be fouled on a follow-up shot attempt from the corner, but no call was made.
Towns finished with 27 points and nine rebounds, nailing 5-of-7 3-pointers. He scored the Knicks’ final five points, hitting a fallaway baseline jumper from a tough angle to cut Detroit’s lead to 93-91 before his game-winning shot.
Brunson left Sunday’s game with a leg injury late in the second half, but eventually returned.
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With approximately three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Brunson got tangled up with Detroit’s Dennis Schröder while attempting to bring the ball upcourt. The ball was stolen by Schroder, who dished off to Cade Cunningham for a dunk, which extended the Pistons’ lead to 65-61.
Brunson had to be helped to his feet and had difficulty putting weight on his right leg as he went to the locker room. However, he returned to the bench during the fourth quarter and didn’t appear to have any issues. Brunson re-entered the game two minutes into the frame and quickly took two shots, making one.
The Knicks point guard went on to score 13 points after returning, hitting 4-of-5 shots. He finished with a game-high 32 points (4-of-7 3s) and 11 assists.
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Perhaps the Pistons were nervous while beginning what could be their final home game of the season. Maybe they were fatigued from a longer season than last year. Or maybe a strong defensive effort from the Knicks set the early tone.
But New York looked like a team ready to take control of this series after three close games and continue the long playoff run expected of them before the season. They made four of their first five 3-point attempts, lifting them to a 29-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
On the other side, Detroit appeared to be overwhelmed by the moment, like a young team experiencing postseason pressure for the first time. Six turnovers demonstrated the Pistons’ difficulty in running their offense and helped the Knicks build a lead.
However, the Pistons chipped away and cut the margin to 50-43 at halftime. That fueled a third-quarter surge during which Detroit outscored New York 28-14 and took a one-point lead into the final frame.
Cunningham posted a triple-double for the Pistons, scoring 25 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists and adding four blocks. But he got off to a slow start and wasn’t a factor at all with his outside shooting, going 0-of-3 from behind the arc. Tobias Harris added 18 points with eight rebounds, while Jalen Duren grabbed 17 rebounds with two blocks.
