The Knicks found themselves in a familiar spot.
For the second game in a row, the Knicks entered Monday night’s fourth quarter down by eight points to the Detroit Pistons, only to deliver a furious run to come all the way back.
But another instant-classic victory was not in the cards.
Dennis Schroder’s tie-breaking 3-pointer with 55 seconds left proved to be the game-winner in the Pistons’ 100-94 victory in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, evening the first-round playoff series at 1-1.
And just like that, the underdog Pistons snatched home-court advantage away from the Knicks.
The Knicks trailed, 75-67, going into the fourth quarter and were down 90-78 with 6:29 remaining. They rallied with a 16-4 run, during which Jalen Brunson scored eight points and found Josh Hart for a dunk that tied the score, 94-94, with 1:15 to go.
But Schroder drilled his game-winner the next time down the floor, and Mikal Bridges’ would-be-game-tying 3-pointer on the next possession hit off the front of the rim.
For the second game in a row, Brunson briefly disappeared from the Knicks’ bench during the fourth quarter – this time with 4:43 remaining – only to return to close out the game. He checked back in 16 seconds after exiting and finished with a game-high 37 points on 12-of-27 shooting.
After an uneven postseason debut in Game 1, Detroit star Cade Cunningham erupted for 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting on Monday.
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 10 points and did not score in the fourth quarter. OG Anunoby also scored 10 and went 1-of-2 for two points in the fourth.
The Knicks came up short on a night the Pistons went 28-for-34 on free throws. The Knicks finished 16-of-19 from the line and had to endure Detroit’s trademark physicality all night.
“Huge discrepancy in free throws. Huge,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said afterward. “I don’t understand how on one side, you talk about direct line drives, the guy’s getting fouled and it’s not getting called.”
The Pistons attempted 14 free throws before Brunson shot the Knicks’ first with 17.4 seconds left before halftime.
“I really don’t give a crap how they call the game as long as it’s consistent on both sides,” Thibodeau said. “If Cunningham’s driving and there’s marginal contact and he’s getting to the line, then Jalen deserves to be getting to the line.”
The Pistons outrebounded the Knicks, 48-34.
The Knicks overcame Saturday night’s fourth-quarter deficit with a 21-0 run, leading them to a 123-112 win.
Naturally, much of the attention entering Game 2 revolved around how the Pistons, with a roster full of playoff newbies, would respond after the back-breaking defeat.
But it was the veteran-laden Knicks who got off to a sloppy start.
They committed four turnovers in the first quarter and missed their first eight 3-point attempts. They heaved ill-advised cross-court passes. Possessions ended with desperation jumpers as the seconds on the shot clock waned.
Cameron Payne, a hero during Saturday’s fourth-quarter comeback, committed three fouls in his first 1:38 off the bench.
Meanwhile, Cunningham asserted himself early.
After Anunoby kept the first-time All-Star in check in Game 1, Detroit found much more success screening against Anunoby on Monday to get Cunningham more desirable matchups.
The Pistons got away with hyper-physical defense over and over again. It happened despite the absence of bruising backup center Isaiah Stewart, one of the top rim protectors in the NBA, who missed Game 2 with right knee inflammation.
A restless Garden crowd bellowed “Ref you suck!” in unison after Hart was called for a borderline foul call with 31 seconds left in the first half, giving Detroit its 13th and 14th free-throw attempts before the break.
Cunningham capped the half by driving past Anunoby and hitting a hanging jumper over Mitchell Robinson, putting the Pistons up 55-49.
Cunningham led all scorers at the break with 20 points on 7-of-12 from the field — nearly matching the 21 points he scored on 8-of-21 shooting in all of Game 1.
The series now heads to Detroit, where the Pistons will host Games 3 and 4 at Little Caesars Arena. The Knicks will look to retake the lead in the best-of-seven series in Game 3 on Thursday night.
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