NEW YORK — Karl-Anthony Towns was lost, in that good way.
He had just clasped his fourth rebound in a four-and-a-half minute stretch and, with both hands on the ball, swung his elbows to ensure no prying hands would knock the ball loose. He nodded and jawed at the player he had just outworked for the board. He pushed the ball ahead to point guard Jalen Brunson who then lulled the defense with three dribbles before finding forward Josh Hart sweeping in for an easy layup.
That was the play that capped a 21-0 New York Knicks run in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s first-round playoffs opener against the Detroit Pistons — a run that ignited New York’s 123-112 victory and prevented it from falling in an early hole in the series.
It began as avalanches do — slowly at first, then suddenly and then all-consuming. It began with just more than nine minutes to play in the game, with the Knicks trailing by eight, and it would leave Detroit stunned, searching for answers.
“To be honest with you, when you’re in those moments, you don’t realize you’re in those moments,” Towns told USA TODAY Sports after the game. “To be told after the game that it was a 21-0 run, I couldn’t tell you that it was. You just get so locked in on the game, so locked in the moment. You just play the game out and execute at the highest level you possibly can and deal with the results later.
“It’s one of those moments where you just get lost in the game. I’m glad that we got lost in the game for the right reasons.”
It was a collective effort. Brunson and backup Cameron Payne combined to score the first 17 points of the stretch, while Hart closed it out with the final two lay-ins.
Towns was also instrumental, altering shots on defense, pulling down the four rebounds and stealing a pair of passes that he tossed to Knicks players leaking out in transition. Forward OG Anunoby locked down Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham and the entire team rotated in help defense, crashed the glass and swarmed the ball.
The run was also microcosmic of the largest discrepancy in this series: New York is replete with veterans whose ample playoff experience . The Pistons entered the season as the NBA’s fourth-youngest team and three of their starters — Cunningham, center Jalen Duren and forward Ausar Thompson — each made their postseason debuts Saturday night.
That experience was palpable as Brunson drew contact on his drives, getting to the line for three-point plays. It was there when Towns read passing lanes to intercept passes. And it was there when New York compounded Detroit’s indecision and lack of comfort in these moments with fast breaks.
“It’s instinctual,” Brunson said. “I don’t want to say we were in that timeout saying: ‘We have more experience.’ We just go out there and do whatever it takes to win, regardless of what the situation is. We have each other’s back. Just keep chipping away. It’s not like it’s an eight-point possession, it’s just chipping away, chipping away.”
Brunson finished with a game-high 34 points, 12 of which came in the final period. After missing 15 games down the stretch in the regular season with a sprained right ankle, Brunson again appeared to tweak the same ankle, momentarily favoring the injury.
Brunson would leave the game in the fourth to change his shoes. The time he checked back in, 9:06 left to play in the game, coincided with the start of the 21-0 run.
“I think he went and grabbed his cape,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau joked.
Towns added 23 points and was the only player on the floor to reach double figures in rebounds (11).
This all sets up an interesting showdown in Game 2 on Monday night.
Detroit did outplay New York for three quarters, and its 3-point shooting was essential in doing so. The Pistons converted 15-of-32 shots (46.9%) from beyond the arc, and veterans Tobias Harris (25 points), Malik Beasley (20) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (19) hit shots when the Knicks doubled Cunningham.
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game that the loss would be an opportunity for “learning lessons,” adding that it was “execution that let us down.” He stressed that, with game film, the Pistons would be ready next time.
Cunningham was even more concise, saying: “We’ve just got to close out the game.”
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