In very dramatic fashion, the New York Knicks woke up in the fourth quarter to overcome a big deficit and stun the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs 123-112 on Saturday. New York now opens the series up 1-0.
Cameron Payne shifted the energy for the Knicks
The Knicks entered the fourth quarter down by , and the Pistons had all of the momentum thanks to 25 points from Tobias Harris. Tom Thibodeau, who was looking for a spark off the bench, went to Cameron Payne to start the fourth quarter, and the energy completely shifted.
Payne helped lead the charge as the Knicks commenced a 21-0 run to grab a double-digit lead over Detroit. His shot-making and his energy on both ends of the floor helped ignite a Knicks team that seemed lifeless through the first three quarters, and the roaring Madison Square Garden crowd behind them provided a jolt.
Payne finished the night with 14 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter. New York outscored Detroit 40-21 in the fourth, completely turning around what was looking to be a terrible upset loss.
Jalen Brunson put on his hero’s cape in the second half
Jalen Brunson had struggled for most of the night. He shot just 4-for-15 in the first half and was pressing on his shot attempts. Despite that, they entered the halftime break up by two, but they would later need the usual heroics from Brunson.
They got exactly that, as he figured things out in the second half. He scored 23 points in the second half and was key to their big fourth quarter comeback.
The Knicks are more than happy to have their captain back after missing a month in the regular season with an ankle injury. Brunson showed in the fourth quarter the clutch gene that they were missing during that time, and it helped catapult the team to victory.
OG Anunoby made a strong impact on both ends for the Knicks
OG Anunoby entered the playoffs on his best stretch of basketball in his career. He continued that stretch with a great Game 1 performance on Saturday.
Anunoby scored 23 points, 19 of which came in the first half, and recorded an impressive five steals and two blocks. Anunoby carried the offensive load in the first half with Brunson’s early struggles, showcasing a tremendous display of physicality and strength to match the Pistons’ intensity.
While his offense slowed down in the second half, he picked things up defensively down the stretch, making several key plays defensively to force Pistons’ turnovers. Detroit recorded six turnovers in the fourth quarter, and Anunoby’s suffocating defense on Cade Cunningham played a huge part in that.
Without Anunoby, the Knicks likely don’t win this game as they had struggled defensively for much of the first three quarters. His impact made all the difference down the stretch of the game.
Overview
The Knicks got themselves a much-needed Game 1 victory behind terrific performances from several key guys. They will look to carry that momentum into Game 2 which is set for Monday night at Madison Square Garden.