In the face of major adversity, the New York Knicks persevered to make a thrilling fourth quarter comeback Sunday to defeat the Detroit Pistons on the road in Game 4 by a score of 94-93. New York now takes a 3-1 series advantage as it heads back to Madison Square Garden.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns came through in the clutch
The offense for most of the game was not smooth-sailing, yet they entered the halftime break up 50-43. Things went South quick in the third quarter, however, and Detroit rallied to gain an 11-point advantage early in the fourth quarter.
To make matters worse, Jalen Brunson suffered an injury at the end of the third quarter and had to go to the locker room. Things looked bleak until Brunson checked back in early in the fourth, and he did what he has done all season in the clutch.
Brunson scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter on 7-for-11 shooting. Despite all of the controversy surrounding his foul-baiting tactics, Brunson attempted zero free throws in the fourth, getting to his spot every play and propelling the Knicks’ comeback effort.
Karl-Anthony Towns joined in and scored eight of his 27 points in the fourth, including the last five points for New York. Towns hit a ridiculous fadeaway mid-range jumper to cut the deficit to two, and on the next offensive possession, drilled a deep three to put the Knicks up 1, which would prove to be the difference maker.
“I’m just trying to do my best Jalen Brunson impression,” Towns said on his clutch shooting (h/t Fred Katz of The Athletic).
The Knicks played great defensively in Game 4.
Defense has been a constant issue for the Knicks this season, and it has been problematic at times throughout this series with the Pistons’ high-level perimeter shooting. However, they clamped down in Game 4, and it made all the difference.
The Pistons shot just 42.9% from the floor and 24.1% from three in Game 4. New York also recorded 11 steals, including four from Josh Hart and three from Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby each.
New York showed a strong paint presence and did a nice job at getting into the passing lanes. If they are able to consistently put on a defensive effort like they did on Sunday, their ceiling looks a lot higher than it currently is.
Overview
The Knicks are now in full control of the series up 3-1, and can close out the series back home at Madison Square Garden. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:30 P.M. EST and will be broadcast nationally on TNT.