NEW YORK — Throughout the hard-fought first-round series between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks, star floor general Jalen Brunson has made magic happen in the late stages of games.
Brunson, the league's Clutch Player of the Year, had keyed his club's come-from-behind victories in Game 1, Game 3 and Game 4 by averaging better than 13 points per fourth quarter in the series, the highest postseason scoring average in the final period by any NBA player since the play-by-play era began in 1996-97.
All of which made it extremely odd to see Brunson sidelined at the scorer's table as precious time ticked away near the end of the Knicks' narrow Game 5 loss, 106-103, at Madison Square Garden.
In holding on late, Detroit thwarted the Knicks' hopes of ending the series on Tuesday night, and instead drew within a game, 3-2, pushing things back to the Motor City for a Game 6 Thursday night.
The club benefited from a dilemma the Knicks faced regarding how to get two of their starters back into the game after exiting due to injury.
The Pistons, up 95-92 with just under four minutes to go, were on offense when Brunson-trying to guard Detroit star Cade Cunningham-appeared to tweak the right ankle that's been bothering him at times since returning from a month-long late-season injury absence with it.
The following play, immediately after Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns sent the Garden crowd into a tizzy by hitting a three to knot things at 95, an airborne Josh Hart fell hard on his back and left wrist while defending a Cunningham layup; one that Pistons center Jalen Duren put back for a basket that put Detroit ahead, 97-95.
Both Brunson and Hart were forced to sub out shortly after, with 2:57 left to play. Hart went into the
Read more on espn.com
espn.com
