Josh Hart’s late bucket helps Knicks edge out Pistons in thriller

Highlights

• The Knicks edged out the Pistons 113-111, with a late layup by Josh Hart.
• The Pistons put up a fight, with Cade Cunningham leading his squad with 32 points.
• Jalen Brunson once again put the Knicks on his back and led the game with 35 points.

It was a thrilling, nail-biting matchup at Madison Square Garden ensued between the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. Both teams came into the game having lost five of their last six, with Detroit’s losses being consecutive.

They entered the game (and left it) as the worst team in the NBA, with an 8-48 record. After tonight’s game, that record slipped to 8-49 as they were defeated by the Knicks by a score of 113-111.

The game would end in thrilling fashion as the affair was back-and-forth for much of the game. However, like many of the Pistons’ games this season, they came just short as the Knicks would win the game on a Josh Hart foul and free throw.

Pistons coach Monty Williams argued that a foul should have been called on Jalen Brunson at the end of the game, but regardless, New York survived, and picked up the win.

The Knicks started the game 0-4 from downtown. They saw themselves in a bit of a deficit early on as the Pistons appeared to be a step ahead, and had to play catch-up. However, a few big shots by Jalen Brunson got the game within one, and New York would take their first lead with 4:02 left in the first.

The second quarter would see the Pistons embark on a 9-0 run and cut the Knicks’ lead, which they had built up through the early portion of that quarter, down to just two. Detroit would then tie the game at 53 but struggled to pull ahead, constantly playing catch-up.

Despite this, the Pistons shot better than the Knicks in field goals in the first half, at 53 percent compared to 48 percent. They also shot better from the three and had more blocks up to that point. The first half would end with New York holding a narrow 62-58 lead, and narrow is how the rest of the game would play out.

The Knicks received every ounce of effort out of the Pistons, as Detroit would not go down without a fight. Cade Cunningham continued to be terrific through the second half, failing to miss most of his shots.

The Knicks pulled away again in the third quarter, but Detroit once again got the deficit down to two in the fourth. New York would play smallish towards the end and attempt to keep the Pistons at bay, but the Pistons would tie the game at 101 with a Bogdanovic foul which enabled Quentin Grimes to make three free-throws.

Grimes would then make his former team pay, as he nailed a three-point shot late in the fourth quarter to give the Pistons a 106-104 lead, their first lead since the first quarter.

It would be a back-and-forth affair as the crowd nervously chanted “Defense!” to the organ, but with 2 seconds remaining, Hart would pick up the layup and the foul to give the Knicks a two-point lead, and that is where the game would end in thrilling fashion.

Familiar faces, familiar places

This game saw the return of former Knicks to The Garden

Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier made their returns to Madison Square Garden, but as members of the opposing team. Despite that, they received a bit of fanfare from the New York Faithful. Grimes picked up 14 points off the bench including a few huge shots for the Pistons, while Fournier notched seven points.

Fournier recorded a big three-pointer for Detroit in the fourth quarter to cut their deficit down to two, resulting in some boos from the New York crowd. Additionally, Grimes heard some boos on the aforementioned three, which gave the Pistons a late lead.

Meanwhile, this was Alec Burks’ and Bojan Bogdanovic’s first games facing their former team (the Pistons) as Knicks. Burks saw 14 minutes and put up 7 points, while Bogdanovic recorded 22 minutes and notched 13 points in that time.

The Knicks received major help off the bench for this game. Jericho Sims had four offensive rebounds off the bench in the first half. Precious Achiuwa started, but he came into the game leading all the NBA in minutes played, with 40 per game on average, and put up 34 minutes with 11 rebounds in this game.

Elite scoring showdown

Brunson and Cunningham face off in shootout

Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham are the current leaders of their respective squads. Both players put on a show tonight, carrying their teams on their backs. Cunningham entered the game shooting 35 percent from three.

He scored the Pistons’ first points of the night in that fashion, and at points throughout the game looked as if he could not miss.

GIVEMESPORT predicted Cunningham to put up at least 20 points in this game, and he blew that mark away with 32. He also recorded five rebounds and eight assists. Cunningham remains the one bright spot on an otherwise Detroit team devoid of talent, and the organization will look to build around him as the centerpiece.

Meanwhile, for the Knicks, Brunson continues to carry the team on his back as starters Julius Randle and OG Anunoby still remain sidelined with injury. GMS predicted he would put up at least 30 points in this game, and Brunson did not fail to deliver, notching 35. He also recorded 12 assists and a rebound.

The reality is that the Pistons remained in the game the entire time, never letting the Knicks intimidate them. They show flashes of a team with talent but for the most part, have failed to put it all together, resulting in their abysmal record. Both the Pistons and Knicks will play consecutive games back-to-back.

Unfortunately for the Pistons, they have now dropped six straight, while the Knicks come away with the win and improve to 35-23, and 20-9 at home. Detroit will face the Chicago Bulls tomorrow, while the defensive-heavy New Orleans Pelicans will come into New York.