On this particular night, New York Knicks fans could not care less about ball movement.
Jalen Brunson‘s crunch-time three with just 4.3 seconds remaining in regulation catapulted the Knicks into the second round of the NBA playoffs, courtesy of a 116-113 Game 6 road victory over the Detroit Pistons.
May 1 (Game 6): Final
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Despite getting off to a hot start and pouring in 37 first-quarter points, the Pistons ultimately made their run in the fourth quarter. Detroit held a seven-point lead after a Tim Hardaway Jr. field goal with 2:35 left in the fourth quarter.
However, the Knickerbockers stepped onto the court with a renewed focus following a timeout. Fans could see it in each player’s face, as the positive vibes and focus on the task were apparent.
After a Brunson three-point play, the Knicks’ captain did it again, with a crafty under-the-hoop shot to cut the deficit to just two points (112-110).
Perhaps the most underrated clutch moment of the night came off a left-side-rim tip by Mikal Bridges, who knotted the game at 113 with 35.1 seconds on the clock.
Interestingly, Karl-Anthony Towns fouling out of the game on the next possession made a tremendous impact for New York. Tom Thibodeau inserted his rim-protector, Mitchell Robinson, into the lineup, who rewarded his coach by forcing a Cade Cunningham left-lane drive adjustment, which ultimately missed.
From there, Brunson did his thing, drilling the game-winner.
Brunson led all scorers with 40 points on 15 of 33 shooting from the floor, which includes 3 of 10 from downtown and 7 assists. Towns finished with just 10 points but ripped down a team-high 15 rebounds.
For Detroit, Cunningham shot 9-22 to lead his team with 23 points. Critically, he went 0-8 from beyond the arc.
The New York Knicks will now rest before facing the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in Round 2.
