- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 431,717
- Reaction score
- 44
DETROIT — Pistons fans waited six years for an NBA home playoff game. But the team was not able to capitalize.
Little Caesars Arena provided an electric, juiced up atmosphere on Thursday night, but the New York Knicks answered the heckling with their best game of this first-round NBA playoff series.
The Knicks stepped up in Game 3 to take a 118-116 win in the first-round series in the NBA playoffs.
MORE: Jimmy Butler injury update: Warriors star has bruised glute muscle
The Pistons were led by Cade Cunningham (24 points on 10 for-25 shooting, 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (24 points). Dennis Schröder (18 points) and Jalen Duren (16 points, eight rebounds) also reached double figures.
Karl-Anthony Towns (31 points, eight rebounds, 10-for-18 shooting) and Jalen Brunson (30 points, nine assists, seven rebounds) led the way for the Knicks, and OG Anunoby added 22 points. Brunson was limited to 13 points 3-for-8 shooting in the first half, but scored 13 in the fourth.
Poor offensive nights from Malik Beasley (12 points, 4-for-14 overall) and Tobias Harris (five points, all in the final few minutes on 2-for-9 shooting) were costly on a night the Knicks shot 46.5% overall and 26-for-29 (89.7%) at the free throw line.
Late 3-pointers from Harris and Hardaway allowed the Pistons to get within 117-116, with 0.5 seconds left. Brunson split a free throw trip on the other side, intentionally missing the second to run the clock out, but a clock violation erased the attempt.
With 0.5 seconds left, down 118-116 with zero timeouts and a chance to tie or win, Duren’s inbounds pass from the sideline at the Pistons bench sailed past Cunningham and went out of bounds. The Knicks gained possession, and successfully inbounded to win the game.
With five seconds remaining and the Pistons down 116-113, Brunson caught the ball as he appeared to potentially commit a backcourt violation, walking the ball back behind the line as he gained possession. It wasn’t whistled, forcing the Pistons to foul Brunson. He made the first free throw but missed the second, allowing Harris to cut it to one on the other end.
There are two off days before Game 4 on Sunday in Detroit (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
Here's what stood out from Game 3:
Loud boos — with “(Expletive) YOU BRUNSON” chants mixed in — rang through the arena every time the All-Star guard touched the ball or went through the free throw line. Brunson led all scorers with 37 points on Monday, and nearly led a Knicks comeback before the Pistons managed to close out.
Brunson was quieter Thursday until the fourth quarter, but the Pistons weren’t able to slow the Knicks’ other two top options. It was Towns’ best game of the series, and Anunoby cracked the 20-point threshold for the second time after he was held to 10 points Monday. Mikal Bridges also scored 20.
After Towns was shut out of the second half on Monday (0 points on 0-for-3 shooting), the Knicks made a point to get the big man going early. The first shot attempt of the game was a catch-and-shoot 3 from Towns that missed, but he knocked down his next 3-ball and entered halftime with 17 points — second on the team to Anunoby’s 18.
Towns kept the Knicks afloat in the third period, before Brunson came alive in the fourth quarter again to help the Knicks hold off another Pistons rally and take the series lead.
The Knicks upped the physicality on Cunningham on Thursday, badgering him into just 13 points on 6-for-15 shooting at halftime. Two of their veteran guards, Hardaway and Schröder, picked up the slack.
They were responsible for 31 of the Pistons’ 45 points midway through the second quarter. Hardaway was red-hot, opening the game 6-for-6 from 3 before he finally missed midway through the third quarter. He drew some of the loudest cheers of the first half, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second quarter to give the Pistons the lead, 43-39.
After delivering the Pistons a Game 2 win with a clutch fourth-quarter performance on Monday, Schroder picked up where he left off, opening the second period with back-to-back 3-pointers after knocking down one late in the first. He and Hardaway were responsible for eight of the Pistons’ 10 made 3-pointers in the first half, which they trailed by 13, 66-54, in part because they shot 38.1% overall as a team.
Hardaway knocked down his sixth 3-pointer early in the second half, during a 14-4 Pistons run that cut the deficit to one, 70-69. But a 16-7 Knicks run followed as their offense went cold again, extending their lead to 93-83 entering the fourth.
After falling behind by 11 points midway through the period, Cunningham and Schröder knocked down back-to-back 3’s to cut it to five, 104-99. It allowed them to get within a point at the end of the game, before the Knicks closed out.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons blow first home playoff game in six years, trail Knicks
Continue reading...
Little Caesars Arena provided an electric, juiced up atmosphere on Thursday night, but the New York Knicks answered the heckling with their best game of this first-round NBA playoff series.
The Knicks stepped up in Game 3 to take a 118-116 win in the first-round series in the NBA playoffs.
MORE: Jimmy Butler injury update: Warriors star has bruised glute muscle
The Pistons were led by Cade Cunningham (24 points on 10 for-25 shooting, 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (24 points). Dennis Schröder (18 points) and Jalen Duren (16 points, eight rebounds) also reached double figures.
Karl-Anthony Towns (31 points, eight rebounds, 10-for-18 shooting) and Jalen Brunson (30 points, nine assists, seven rebounds) led the way for the Knicks, and OG Anunoby added 22 points. Brunson was limited to 13 points 3-for-8 shooting in the first half, but scored 13 in the fourth.
Poor offensive nights from Malik Beasley (12 points, 4-for-14 overall) and Tobias Harris (five points, all in the final few minutes on 2-for-9 shooting) were costly on a night the Knicks shot 46.5% overall and 26-for-29 (89.7%) at the free throw line.
Late 3-pointers from Harris and Hardaway allowed the Pistons to get within 117-116, with 0.5 seconds left. Brunson split a free throw trip on the other side, intentionally missing the second to run the clock out, but a clock violation erased the attempt.
With 0.5 seconds left, down 118-116 with zero timeouts and a chance to tie or win, Duren’s inbounds pass from the sideline at the Pistons bench sailed past Cunningham and went out of bounds. The Knicks gained possession, and successfully inbounded to win the game.
With five seconds remaining and the Pistons down 116-113, Brunson caught the ball as he appeared to potentially commit a backcourt violation, walking the ball back behind the line as he gained possession. It wasn’t whistled, forcing the Pistons to foul Brunson. He made the first free throw but missed the second, allowing Harris to cut it to one on the other end.
There are two off days before Game 4 on Sunday in Detroit (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
Here's what stood out from Game 3:
Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby pick up slack
You must be registered for see images attach
Loud boos — with “(Expletive) YOU BRUNSON” chants mixed in — rang through the arena every time the All-Star guard touched the ball or went through the free throw line. Brunson led all scorers with 37 points on Monday, and nearly led a Knicks comeback before the Pistons managed to close out.
Brunson was quieter Thursday until the fourth quarter, but the Pistons weren’t able to slow the Knicks’ other two top options. It was Towns’ best game of the series, and Anunoby cracked the 20-point threshold for the second time after he was held to 10 points Monday. Mikal Bridges also scored 20.
After Towns was shut out of the second half on Monday (0 points on 0-for-3 shooting), the Knicks made a point to get the big man going early. The first shot attempt of the game was a catch-and-shoot 3 from Towns that missed, but he knocked down his next 3-ball and entered halftime with 17 points — second on the team to Anunoby’s 18.
Towns kept the Knicks afloat in the third period, before Brunson came alive in the fourth quarter again to help the Knicks hold off another Pistons rally and take the series lead.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Dennis Schröder lift cold offense
The Knicks upped the physicality on Cunningham on Thursday, badgering him into just 13 points on 6-for-15 shooting at halftime. Two of their veteran guards, Hardaway and Schröder, picked up the slack.
They were responsible for 31 of the Pistons’ 45 points midway through the second quarter. Hardaway was red-hot, opening the game 6-for-6 from 3 before he finally missed midway through the third quarter. He drew some of the loudest cheers of the first half, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second quarter to give the Pistons the lead, 43-39.
After delivering the Pistons a Game 2 win with a clutch fourth-quarter performance on Monday, Schroder picked up where he left off, opening the second period with back-to-back 3-pointers after knocking down one late in the first. He and Hardaway were responsible for eight of the Pistons’ 10 made 3-pointers in the first half, which they trailed by 13, 66-54, in part because they shot 38.1% overall as a team.
Hardaway knocked down his sixth 3-pointer early in the second half, during a 14-4 Pistons run that cut the deficit to one, 70-69. But a 16-7 Knicks run followed as their offense went cold again, extending their lead to 93-83 entering the fourth.
After falling behind by 11 points midway through the period, Cunningham and Schröder knocked down back-to-back 3’s to cut it to five, 104-99. It allowed them to get within a point at the end of the game, before the Knicks closed out.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons blow first home playoff game in six years, trail Knicks
Continue reading...
