The New York Knicks came out looking like they wanted to make a statement on this series and leave Detroit with a commanding 3-1 lead. For much of the first half that’s exactly how it played out for the New York. They forced the Detroit Pistons into tough shots and turnovers throughout the first half, eventually growing a 16 point lead late in the 2nd quarter. A missed Jalen Brunson 3 though that could have made it a 19-point hole instead led to a Detroit run, keeping the game within single digits heading into halftime and giving Detroit new life.

The Pistons came out of the intermission riding the same momentum that carried them to the end of the first half. New York tried desperately to hold on, but now found themselves in the same situation they had put Detroit in during the first half. To make matters worse, Jalen Brunson left for the locker room with an apparent ankle injury towards the end of the 3rd with the Knicks trailing. Brunson was back on the bench to start the 4th though and was back into the game not long after with the Knicks still trailing and in desperate need of a spark. Spearheaded by 15 points in the frame from Brunson, the Knicks stormed back from down 11, turning the game into a back and forth affair with the W there for the taking. Two clutch buckets from Karl Anthony-Towns proved to be the difference, and the Knicks forced two misses in the final 10 seconds to claim a 94-93 win and grab the 3-1 series lead heading back to Madison Square Garden this Tuesday night.

Observations

Detroit hasn’t won a home playoff game since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conferencr Finals when they still played at the Palace at Auburn Hills
Criticism of Brunson’s offensive game, namely those calling him a shameless foul merchant, are really selling him short. While some of it is certainly blatant foul-baiting, his herky jerky style of ball handling is part of what makes him so effective as an offensive player and naturally lends itself to seeking contact. His 32 points tonight marks his 15th 30-point performance with the Knicks, but even more impressive? His 11 assists against just 2 turnovers, with the entire Detroit defense gunning for him all game.

Slow start for Cade Cunningham (6 points in the 1st half) thanks in large part to an OG Anunoby defensive clinic. He came alive in the 2nd half though, finishing with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, only the second player in Piston’s history to notch a playoff triple double. The other guy? Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who was in attendance this afternoon.
The Pistons used their challenge 5 minutes into the game, hoping to gain possession on a tipped ball that was ruled in New York’s favor, and lost. While there’s no, “right,” time for a coach to use their challenge, it’s safe to say it was wasted in this situation.
Perhaps it’s unfair to come at both OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges for having such mediocre games on the offensive end. The two are a formidable defensive tandem that leave it all out there on that end of the floor. New York might be able to live with mediocre scoring performances from those two to win this series, but in the next round, likely against the Boston Celtics? Not a chance. This is especially true of Bridges, whom the Knicks gave up quite the haul to bring into the fold last summer.
Tobias Harris played a huge role in getting the Pistons back into this one. Detroit ran a lot of action to get him the ball with Brunson guarding him and he delivered. He was huge in the 3rd quarter, leading the charge and helping Detroit take control of the game. He picked up his 4th foul before that quarter ended though, finding himself on the bench until halfway through the 4th quarter. Harris failed to score the rest of the way.
The Knicks continue to receive almost nothing from their bench (just 5 points total today, all from Deuce McBride), while some guys on the Detroit bench were quiet today, namely Dennis Schroder. He finished with just 6 points on a measly 4 attempts from the field. Consistency continues to elude Malik Beasley as well. Beasley, who shot 41% from 3 this season, is just 6/27 from behind the arc in the last 3 games.
Karl Anthony Towns (who finished with 27 points, only second to Brunson for the game) hit two huge jumpers with under 2 minutes to go that ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. The first:

Game 5 is back in New York City Tuesday, April 29th at 6:30 CT on TNT.