Knicks Finally Click, Almost Clank It Away In Game 3 Win Over Pistons

DETROIT — No, it wasn’t perfect. Not even close. But for three quarters Thursday night, the Knicks looked like a team that finally figured something out. Then, in true Knicks fashion, they nearly gave it all away.

Still, a win’s a win in April — especially on the road, in the playoffs, against a Pistons team that refuses to back down. Jalen Brunson hit a clutch free throw, the scorer’s table hit the buzzer too early, and Jalen Duren hit the seats with his final inbounds pass. Ballgame. Knicks 118, Pistons 116. New York leads the series 2-1.

Let’s back it up. The Knicks came out in Game 3 playing their most complete game of the series. They moved the ball, got stops, and looked like a team that had finally accepted that it’s time to act like contenders. Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges all chipped in early. The Knicks built a 66–53 halftime lead and controlled things from there. Mostly.

Detroit made sure it got weird. A late barrage from Dennis Schroder, Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris cut the Knicks’ lead to one with 0.5 seconds left. Then came the Brunson free throw. Then the clock issue. Then chaos. And finally, relief.

Stat lines that matter: Brunson dropped 30. Towns had 31. The first time a Knicks playoff duo did that since Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell back in 1999. Anunoby added 22 with his usual brand of physical defense. Bridges? Smooth and steady with 20 points on 13 shots, including 3-of-6 from deep. And Josh Hart? Just six points, but 11 rebounds, two steals, and a block in 41 grueling minutes.

The Pistons? Tough as nails. Cunningham scored 24 and handed out 11 assists, though he also had six turnovers. Tim Hardaway Jr. matched him with 24 on 7-of-13 shooting. Schroder hit a couple big shots down the stretch. Malik Beasley bricked eight threes but drained one that almost mattered. Detroit just kept coming.

Whistles, whistles everywhere. Fifty fouls were called. Five-zero. That’s one every 58 seconds. Want to fire up your favorite conspiracy theory about the league pushing for a Game 7? Have at it.

New York shot 26-of-29 from the line. Detroit hit 16 threes to the Knicks’ 12 but lost the paint battle (46–36) and coughed up 14 turnovers. New York added 11 steals and 7 blocks to their hustle résumé.

First half rewind: Little Caesars Arena gave Brunson the ol’ “Trae Young” chant, which gets an A for effort and a C-minus for originality. Detroit was missing Isaiah Stewart, so Paul Reed played decent minutes.

Meanwhile, the Knicks looked like a team that finally remembered it had weapons. After a 33–27 lead after one, New York found a rhythm. Brunson and KAT hit back-to-back threes after a flagrant, OG added a slam and triple, Hart got dirty, and Bridges swatted Cade –twice. It was sharp, confident basketball. And it was about time.

Second half swing: Things got tight in the third as the Knicks’ shooting cooled, but Towns kept scoring, and Brunson kept Brunsoning. Bridges hit shots. Hart rebounded. By the end of three, it was 93–83 Knicks.

But Detroit didn’t go away. Schroder led an 8-0 run. Harris hit a three. Cade kept attacking. Suddenly, it was a one-point game. Then Beasley fouled Brunson with 0.5 left. One make. One miss. Buzzer sounds before the ball’s touched. Reset. Chaos. Duren’s pass goes sailing into the stands. Knicks win.

Next up: Game 4 is Sunday in Detroit. Expect another dogfight.