The New York Knicks bounced back from a tough loss with a huge Game 3 victory on the road Thursday, defeating the Detroit Pistons 118-116. New York has a 2-1 series advantage over Detroit in the best-of-seven first-round series.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns carried the load for the Knicks
In Game 2, the Knicks heavily underutilized Karl-Anthony Towns, which led to poor offensive results. That changed significantly in Game 3, as the offense ran primarily through their All-Star center, leading to much better results.
Towns led all scorers with 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the floor and 4-for-8 from three. He also grabbed eight rebounds and had two blocks on the defensive end. Towns played with aggression from the get-go, which helped the Knicks get control of the game early and carry that momentum throughout the second half.
Jalen Brunson continued his heroics, too, scoring 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter fresh off winning Clutch Player of the Year. He came through in the clutch once again for New York and knocked down several key shots down the stretch to propel the team to a pivotal Game 3 victory.
Brunson has now scored at least 30 points and dished at least seven assists in each game of the series so far. He looks to be back into rhythm after missing 15 games towards the end of the season with an ankle sprain, which is huge for them going forward.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges provided great defense for the Knicks
The Knicks’ dynamic wing duo of Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby showcased their tremendous defensive prowess in Game 3. They both recorded 20+ points on offense, but their intensity on the other end is what helped give the Knicks control of the game.
Bridges recorded three steals and two blocks while Anunoby added two steals and a block of his own. The duo was everywhere defensively, and they both did a solid job at preventing Cade Cunningham from taking over the game like he did in Game 2.
Cunningham finished with 24 points, but on 10-for-25 shooting. New York swarmed Cunningham and didn’t make any shots easy for him, and their game plan to slow him down worked wonders for them.
Overview
After a sluggish offensive performance in Game 2, the Knicks responded with a strong offensive outing in Game 3. New York will try to steal both games on the road in Game 4 on Sunday at 1 P.M. EST.