Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson delivered on both ends of the floor Thursday night, leading the New York Knicks to a narrow 118-116 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.
The win gives the Knicks a 2-1 lead, regaining control of the matchup ahead of Game 4 on Sunday in Detroit.
Towns set the tone early with 11 of his 31 points in the first quarter, knocking down four three-pointers and punishing Detroit’s interior defense with aggressive post play.
Brunson, named the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year a day earlier, lived up to the title by scoring 12 of his 30 points in the final frame, including back-to-back layups that extended New York’s lead to seven.
Detroit pulled within one possession in the final seconds, but missed opportunities sealed the outcome.
Brunson made 1-of-2 free throws with 3.5 seconds left after Detroit protested for an over-and-back call that was not granted.
Following a chaotic finish where the buzzer sounded prematurely after a missed free throw, the Pistons retained possession with 0.5 seconds remaining, but Jalen Duren’s inbounds pass sailed out of bounds untouched.
Towns bounced back from two quiet shooting nights to finish 4-of-8 from deep, giving New York a much-needed offensive boost alongside strong contributions from OG Anunoby (22 points) and Mikal Bridges (20).
The Knicks led 33-27 after a high-intensity opening quarter and built a 66-53 advantage at halftime, capitalizing on poor Detroit shot selection and turnovers.
The Pistons responded in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to one twice, but New York countered with a run to enter the fourth ahead by double digits.
Cade Cunningham recorded 24 points and 11 assists for Detroit but struggled with efficiency, shooting 10-of-25 and committing six turnovers.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 24 points on a career playoff-best seven three-pointers, while Dennis Schroder chipped in 18 and Duren had 16.
New York will aim to take a commanding 3-1 series lead on Sunday before the series returns to Madison Square Garden for Game 5.
