DETROIT – After losing Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks made key adjustments in their game plan to defeat the Detroit Pistons in Game 3.
The Knicks beat the Pistons 118-116 after a hard-fought, physical game on both sides.
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Here are the key game plan adjustments made by the Knicks.
KAT Attack
Knicks 7-footer Karl-Anthony Towns finished with just 10 points in Game 2 and had no field goal attempts in the fourth quarter.
He averages 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists this season, and the Knicks need his production.
That’s why the Knicks went to him early in Game 3, scoring 11 points in the first quarter.
The Knicks kept giving the ball to Towns throughout the game, and he ended with 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Attacked Cade Cunningham on offense
Whenever a Knicks player realized Cade Cunningham was guarding him, they immediately attacked the basket to get a layup or a foul.
Cunningham is a solid on-ball defender, but he’s also the team’s primary ball handler and scorer, so the Knicks sought to make him expend energy on defense as well.
Cunningham had four steals and two blocks in the game, but he also had four fouls.
Cunningham is the Pistons’ engine, and being aggressive against him can help limit his offensive production.
Balanced Offense
Through Games 1 and 2, the Knicks’ offense was heavily centered around Jalen Brunson creating shots in isolation.
That style of play took other players like Towns and Mikal Bridges out of rhythm.
Brunson adjusted Game 3 to spread the wealth and move the ball around for a more balanced offense.
In Game 3, four Knicks players scored over 20 points, including Bridges (20 points), OG Anunoby (22 points), Brunson (30 points), and Towns (31 points).
Played more physical
The Knicks fully embraced the villain role in this game, showing that they’ve settled into the series’ physicality.
Even though the Knicks lost the rebounding battle for the third game in a row, they silenced the packed Little Caesars Arena by making it ugly.
Multiple tie-ups and loose balls ended up going the Knicks’ way.
The buzzing Pistons crowd didn’t faze the Knicks, as they exceeded the Pistons’ intensity and physicality while also getting several Pistons players in foul trouble.