Towns (L) Anunoby (R) Big In Game 1 Win
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Shara Talia Taylor
Cunningham Did All He Could For Detroit
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The New York Knicks came from behind in the fourth quarter in round 1 game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs to outlast the Detroit Pistons 123-112 at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks were unable to get ahead of the Pistons by a significant amount for most of the game, which would have been alarming, considering the team was No. 3 in the Eastern Conference and the Pistons were at 6. However, the Knicks woke up in the fourth quarter as Cameron Payne made the turnaround 3-pointer and Jalen Brunson, who led the team with 34 game points and eight assists, followed it up with a shot to push New York ahead.
“We did not end the third quarter the way that we wanted, but there was never a doubt that we were going to lay down and not fight,” he said. “We had to find a way to figure things out and keep battling. It turned rather quickly.”
Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby added 23 points each in the game. Tobias Harris led Detroit with 25 points. Cade Cunningham added 21 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 19 for the Pistons.
New York had their biggest lead in the game, 13 points, in the final quarter. Detroit had matched their energy and shots until then. New York was ahead 8-3 at the first timeout of the game and led by as much as 7 points in the quarter. Anunoby beat the buzzer to tie the score at 27 before the quarter ended. Detroit also matched New York with 11 total rebounds in the first quarter.
The Knicks were ahead 57-55 by half time, when Anunoby led New York with 19 points. The Pistons returned from halftime refreshed, tied the scored, pushed ahead, and outscored the Knicks 36-26 in the quarter alone.
“Just stay with it,” Anunoby said about the teams’ conversations at the end of the third quarter. “Continue to play the way we play. Force them to make tough shots.”
Following Payne’s 3-pointer that tied the game at 98 and the following two points from Brunson, the Knicks held the lead the remainder of the game.
Brunson appeared to roll his ankle in the game, but later said it felt great. He said on Sunday they would reset and get ready for game 2.
Recent Comments