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The Knicks avoided catastrophe earlier in Sunday’s win. Late in the third quarter, Jalen Brunson sustained an injury scare after colliding with Dennis Schröder. Brunson appeared to injure his lower right leg and crawled to the sideline before limping to the locker room. He returned to the bench at the beginning of the fourth quarter and re-entered the game with roughly 10 minutes to play.
“Ankle is all good,” Brunson, who finished with 32 points and 11 assists, said on the postgame broadcast. The Knicks and Pistons return to New York for Game 5 on Tuesday. Timberwolves 116, Lakers 113
(Timberwolves lead series 3-1)
Edwards puts his stamp on Wolves win
Edwards single-handedly took down Dončić, James and the Lakers in the biggest game in his young career.
Edwards scored 16 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter, rallying Minnesota from a 12-point deficit to give his team a commanding lead heading back to LA for Game 5.
The Wolves appeared dead in the water after Dončić, James and Rui Hachimura eviscerated their defense in the third quarter to take a 94-84 lead. Then Ant scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter to get the Wolves back into it. And with Minnesota clinging to a one-point lead late, Edwards drove to the basket and was fouled by James, hitting two free throws to seal the win.
He also got some big-time help from Naz Reid, who hit two big 3s, and Donte DiVincenzo, who converted a three-point play to put the Wolves over the top.
It was the kind of performance that justifies the league’s hope that Edwards will one day take the baton from James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant as the next American superstar. He has starred in a movie, he has a signature sneaker and he led the Wolves to the Western Conference finals last season. And now he has his signature moment in a career that can go anywhere from here. — Jon Krawczynski
Redick finds effective lineup, but it runs out of gas
After hinting at a potential starting lineup change ahead of Game 4, Lakers coach JJ Redick stuck with the same lineup to begin the game. But after another shaky shift from starting center Jaxson Hayes, Redick benched him for the rest of the game.
Redick started the second half with Dorian Finney-Smith in Hayes’ place — the most logical replacement. The Finney-Smith/James/Hachimura/Reaves/Dončić lineup has been the Lakers’ best center-less look and Redick’s preferred closing lineup.
Redick boldly played the group the entire second half of the Lakers’ loss on Sunday. They scored their series-high of 36 points in the third quarter as the Timberwolves switched to more hedging and blitzing. The Lakers picked it apart to head into the final frame up by 10.
But they eventually ran out of gas, getting outscored 32-19 in the fourth quarter as open 3s fell short and every defensive rotation and box-out became that much tougher. The Wolves generated better looks, getting to the rim and the free-throw line.
The Lakers should start the second-half group in a must-win Game 5 at home on Wednesday, but the lineup adjustment might’ve ultimately been made too late. — Jovan Buha
Knicks 94, Pistons 93
(Knicks lead series 3-1)
What else is there to say about Jalen Brunson?
The NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year did it yet again, like he has all season, scoring 15 of his 32 points in the fourth to help New York pull off a comeback win and take the dominating series lead.
After a great start, the Knicks’ offense was abysmal in the middle quarters. No one could make a shot, and New York stopped winning the 50-50 balls. The Pistons found their footing offensively as the Knicks hit a snag. New York led by seven at halftime. The Pistons led by seven at the end of the third.
In the end, the brilliance of Brunson and Towns, who added eight points in the fourth, was too much for Detroit.
The Knicks’ experience and talent have helped them get a commanding lead in this physical series. Both of those qualities, along with Detroit being a turnover-prone team, made many believe New York was the favorite. The Pistons had 19 turnovers.
Now the Knicks need to finish the series Tuesday in New York, with a chance to get some significant rest before the inevitable second-round series against the Boston Celtics or Orlando Magic. — James Edwards III
Detroit couldn’t sustain third-quarter dominance
The Pistons looked like the best version of themselves in the third quarter, but couldn’t sustain that level of play. Detroit outscored New York 28-14 in the frame to enter the fourth with a 71-64 lead before the Knicks outscored the Pistons 30-22 in the fourth.
It was the defense in the third that got the Pistons back into the game, as evidenced by their seven blocks in the quarter, but it simply wasn’t enough. Detroit specifically pestered Towns in the third, and he looked completely flustered. But Towns came alive in the game’s waning minutes, hitting back-to-back triples to give the Knicks a 94-93 edge with 46.6 seconds remaining.
Towns and Brunson proved to be too much for the Pistons down the stretch, combining for 58 of New York’s 94.
With Cunningham’s first playoff triple-double, he joins Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson (1986) as the only players with a 25-point triple-double and four blocks in a playoff matchup.
Detroit is now tasked with winning each of the next three games to keep its season alive. — Hunter Patterson
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