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Hobbled Jalen Brunson, clutch Karl-Anthony Towns lead Knicks to dramatic Game 4 win over Pistons

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The Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 94-93 on Sunday afternoon in the Motor City, giving them a convincing 3-1 series lead.

Here are the key takeaways…

-The story in the first half of Sunday’s matchup was the Knicks’ stifling defense. The Pistons turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, and at one point had as many field goals as turnovers, with seven apiece. Pistons star Cade Cunningham was basically a non-factor in the half, shooting 3-of-9 from the floor for six points. As a team, the Pistons were just 2-of-16 from three-point range.

-Offensively, the Knicks shared the ball well, as Karl-Anthony Towns (13), Jalen Brunson (12), and Josh Hart (10) all finished the first half in double figures, with OG Anunoby not far behind with eight points. As he typically does, Brunson set the tone and controlled the pace for the Knicks. Along with his 12 points in the first half, he also had seven assists and five rebounds, proving to be the best player on the floor.

-Just as it looked like the Knicks might pull away in the final moments of the first half, stretching their lead to a game-high 16 points, the Pistons answered back with an 11-2 run to end the half, getting the crowd back into the game and making it just a seven-point New York lead at the half.

-A huge moment came with about three minutes remaining in the third, when Brunson went down with an apparent right lower leg injury.

Brunson and Dennis Schroder got tangled up after Schroder stripped the ball away, and Brunson went to the floor awkwardly, holding his lower right leg. Brunson crawled over towards the scoring table and attempted to stand up and put weight on his right leg but was unable. But after a quick trip to the locker room, Brunson was back on the bench and checked back into the game with 10 minutes to go, and the Knicks down by nine after trailing by seven at the end of the third.

The Pistons owned the third quarter, outscoring New York 28-14, and not having Brunson on the floor for the final three minutes didn’t help matters. Cunningham led the way for Detroit, scoring 12 points by himself in the quarter.

-The Knicks wouldn’t go down without a fight in the fourth, as a clearly hobbled Brunson helped the Knicks claw back. A Mikal Bridges three made it a three-point game about halfway through the quarter. The Pistons had led by as many as 11 points with about eight minutes to play. Later, Brunson nailed a step-back three on the wing to tie the game at 84-84, taking matters into his own hands.

The teams traded big shots down the stretch, with Towns hitting some key shots to make it a two-point Detroit lead with just over a minute to go. Then, after a bit of a discombobulated possession, Towns hit a 27-footer to give New York a one-point lead with 47 seconds left.

After Brunson missed a running shot off an inbound pass, the Knicks committed their foul to give, setting the stage for the Pistons, down one, with 11.1 seconds left. But as was the case earlier, the Knicks shut all windows and doors, playing tremendous defense as Cunningham missed a shot and Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a contested three, and the Knicks escaped with the win.

-Brunson finished with 32 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds, including 15 points after returning from the locker room. Towns had 27 and nine rebounds, knocking down five of his six three-point attempts. Cunningham had a triple-double in a losing effort, going for 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Who was the game MVP?

Brunson, who remarkably scored 15 points after it looked like his afternoon might be finished with a lower leg/ankle injury.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

The Knicks can close out the series at home with a win in Game 5, which will tip off on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

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