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The New York Knicks had no issues in the third quarter. This time the issue came in fourth.
But in the end, the NBA Clutch Player of the Year concluded the series.
All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson raced three pointers with 4.3 seconds left in the game, capping an 11-1 run and pushing the Knicks past the Pistons 116-113. And with that, New York won the first round playoff series in six games on Thursday night, opening a showdown in the Eastern Conference semi-finals with the Boston Celtics.
Branson was spectacular in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of the team’s final 11 points. He scored 40 points in 15/33rd shooting, adding seven assists and four rebounds.
The Knicks were entering the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead, but the slow play, sales and cold shooting brought Detroit back into the game and ultimately scored a 7-point lead at 2:35.
The Pistons missed their final four field goal attempts and committed a pair of turnovers in the final minutes, opening the door to a ferocious New York run to win the game.
One of these sales came on the penultimate play of the game when Detroit planned an outbound play that would have set up the open 3 of Malik Beasley, which had tied the game together. However, the ball glanced at Beasley’s hand and landed from range.
The Knicks inbound the ball on the next play and quickly ate the final 0.4 seconds of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnvtl_kswoq
To overcome the incompetence of the third quarter, the Knicks unleashed a veteran play.
New York on Thursday received an outscore every quarter of the series, combining a -33 margin to score 6.6 points per third quarter.
However, on Thursday night, the Knicks outperformed Detroit by 13 during the period, carrying an 11-point lead to the fourth 96-85.
The Knicks went to the younger piston and used excessive defense against them. Early in the third time, New York fouled Detroit and baited him, and the Knicks had already become a bonus before the eight-minute mark expired.
That led to Detroit playing rather interim defense, allowing the Knicks to cut and lower the easier bucket.
The Knicks also got hot over the arc, nailing a four-quarter 3S in that period, but Detroit couldn’t make one of the seven deep tries.
This means that pistons facing elimination will take 12 minutes to erase the deficit and save the season.
The Pistons settled in the second quarter, playing on a much better offensive rhythm, surpassing the Knicks by 16 during the period.
More importantly, for Detroit, the three-pointer covering guard Malik Beasley’s buzzer pushed the piston into the lead at halftime 61-59.
Detroit was caused by Beasley’s shooting, nailing six of the 11 shots in the first half. Beasley led all the Pistons players in half with 18 points, while Cade Cunningham added 11 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Just as Piston was hot in the era, it was a very different story for the cooler Knicks. New York only modified seven-in-one attempts (36.8%), committing five turnovers in the second quarter, compared to 60.9% shootings in Detroit period.
Jalen Brunson scored just five points in this period, but leads all players with 20 points on 13 shots. Center Carl Antony Towns has had a slightly quieter night so far.
The New York Knicks did some different things in the first quarter Thursday compared to how they finished Game 5 on Tuesday night. They pushed the pace of transition. Point guard Jalen Branson took over.
Branson scored 15 points in nine shots and added four assists to lead New York to a 37-23 advantage after one inning.
The Knicks were generally hot, nailing 15/25 shots (60%) and taking advantage of three early Detroit turnovers. Cade Cunningham scored nine points, but the Pistons struggled to return to defense during the transition, leading the New York bucket with ease.
During the period, the Pistons only shot 8/21 (38.1%) from the field.
Pistons vs Knicks Game 6 Schedule
Game 6 of the NBA Playoff Series between the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons is scheduled to chip off at 7:30pm on Thursday, May 1st.
How to watch Piston and Knicks: Time, TV, streaming information
- time: At 7:30pm
- tv set: TNT
- stream: Fubo
- position: Little Caesar Arena (Detroit)
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