The New York Knicks moved one win away from advancing in the NBA playoffs after a 94-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Karl-Anthony Towns hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 46.6 seconds remaining and finished with 27 points, while Jalen Brunson tallied 32 points and 11 assists to give New York a 3-1 series lead.
The outcome was not without controversy, as Pistons guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was bumped by Josh Hart while attempting a potential game-winning three at the buzzer, but officials did not call a foul.
Crew chief David Guthrie later acknowledged that a foul should have been assessed, which would have sent Hardaway Jr. to the line for three free throws with Detroit trailing by just one point.
The Knicks overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit, riding Towns’ clutch shot-making and Brunson’s playmaking to seize control late in a physical, defensive battle.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham recorded 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists for his first career playoff triple-double, joining Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas as the only Pistons to achieve the feat.
Cunningham, however, missed two critical shots and committed a turnover in the final 67 seconds as the Pistons failed to capitalize on their late lead.
New York stormed out early, building a 16-point advantage in the first half before Detroit responded with an 11-0 run to narrow the gap by halftime.
The Pistons surged ahead in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 28-14 behind Cunningham’s 12 points, but could not hold on in the closing minutes.
Brunson gave New York a brief scare when he exited late in the third quarter with a leg injury, yet the All-Star guard returned to lead the Knicks’ late rally.
Josh Hart added 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, while Towns shot 5-for-7 from deep and grabbed nine boards for New York.
Hardaway Jr. finished with 14 points for Detroit, while Tobias Harris contributed 18 points and Jalen Duren grabbed 17 rebounds.
Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will look to close out the first-round series in front of their home crowd.
