Jalen Brunson, KAT Impress NBA Fans as Knicks Beat Cade Cunningham, Pistons in Game 3

The New York Knicks' starting five carried the team to a 118-116 win over the Detroit Pistons in Thursday's Game 3 to take a 2-1 series edge in the first round of the NBA playoffs. 

Karl-Anthony Towns led the scoring for the Knicks with 31 points, eight rebounds and two blocks while shooting 10-of-18 from the field. Jalen Brunson added 30 points, shooting 11-of-13 from the free-throw line, along with nine assists and seven rebounds. OG Anunoby added 22 points, and Mikal Bridges had 20.

On the other side of the court, Tim Hardaway Jr. posted 24 points, shooting 7-of-12 from the three-point line, in addition to 24 points from Cade Cunningham, who added 11 assists and seven rebounds.

Fans reacted to New York's win on social media:

The Knicks held a 33-27 lead at the end of the first quarter as Towns was a force in the paint, while the Pistons struggled with missed shots and turnovers, highlighted by a double technical between Robinson and Paul Reed. 

The Knicks led 66-53 at halftime, smothering the Pistons with aggressive defense and sharp shooting. Bridges swatted multiple attempts from Cunningham, while Towns ruled the boards. 

Despite scoring bursts from Beasley and Cunningham, New York’s defense held strong. A successful challenge by the Knicks overturned a call and they capitalized on turnovers, with steals from Anunoby and Bridges lighting the way.

The Knicks carried a 93-83 lead into the fourth, highlighted by Josh Hart grabbing key offensive rebounds, while Brunson notched a block and hit several crucial shots.

The Knicks led 108-101 with just over three minutes left. Towns nailed a mid-range shot and Brunson kept adding to his tally with pull-up jumpers. 

The Pistons trimmed the deficit to just one point, sparked by a Hardaway Jr. three-pointer and a Tobias Harris triple that made it 117-116 with just over three ticks left. After Brunson hit one of two free throws and intentionally missed the second, a horn malfunction granted Detroit an unexpected final look with 0.5 seconds remaining—but the Knicks defense held firm, sealing the gritty win.

The Knicks and Pistons will continue their series on Sunday in Detroit for Game 4.