DETROIT — With 4.3 seconds left in regulation of Thursday’s game at Little Caesars Arena, a New York Knicks guard blew a kiss to the Detroit Pistons fans in attendance as his teammates mobbed him after what had just transpired.

With the game tied 113-113, the Knicks guard managed to shake off stout Pistons defender Ausar Thompson and drilled the eventual game-winning 3-pointer, lifting New York to a 4-2 series win over Detroit in the Eastern Conference first-round series. When he went into detail about how he freed himself up to sink the go-ahead bucket, the guard offered high praise to the second-year forward.

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“That dude was tough to play against,” he told reporters. “He’s big-time. I told him straight to his face after the series. He made me work, so I have a lot of respect for him.”

He averaged 31.5 points on 43.6% shooting in the series, falling short of the 48.8% he shot during the regular season.

Thompson’s defense throughout the series was incredibly physical and routinely forced the crafty guard into uncomfortable situations. His effort in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden — when the guard scored just 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting — was key in Detroit forcing a Game 6 back home.

The All-Star guard wasn’t alone in his praise for Detroit. Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, who struggled from the floor in Game 6 (4-for-10 shooting for 10 points), also commended the Pistons.

Like with his teammate, the Pistons made life difficult for the All-Star big, who was held to 19.7 points per game. While he was exceptional in Games 1, 3 and 4, Detroit made his impact minimal in the other matchups.

And with their defensive anchor Isaiah Stewart sidelined for the series after Game 1, the Pistons rotated bodies on Towns with center Jalen Duren and cross matching him with Tobias Harris and Ausar Thompson in spots.

“I want to give a huge shoutout to Detroit. They showed why they should be in this position,” Towns said. “They’re going to be really good for a lot of years, so we better prepare for Detroit to be in the playoffs for many years to come.”

The respect from Brunson and Towns was witnessed by fans in attendance shortly after the final buzzer. In one of the more physical first-round series matchups of this year’s playoffs, bad blood certainly could have been expected to linger between the ball clubs.

Instead, they all embraced each other at center court as fans in attendance applauded the Pistons on their season.

“The team is really, really good, and they’re young,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “Just their growth from last year to this year the veterans that they added really complement the young guys.

“(Cade) Cunningham’s terrific. (Ausar) Thompson is phenomenal. (Jalen) Duren same thing – his playmaking ability has been huge for them all year they have a very bright future.”