Detroit Pistons ‘no call’ in final seconds lead to Knicks taking commanding 3-1 series lead

DETROIT – The New York Knicks took a commanding 3-1 series lead after defeating the Detroit Pistons 94-93 following a non-call in the game’s final seconds.

With 11.1 seconds remaining in the game, Cade Cunningham missed a jumper, but during a wild scramble, Tim Hardaway Jr. appeared to get fouled on a three point shot. The referees didn’t blow the whistle, and they got jeered off the floor.

The Pistons were too excited to play in front of their home fans, who’ve been starving for a home playoff game since 2019. They dropped Game 3, but Sunday was different as it had a big fight feel.

After falling by as much as 16 points, Detroit went on an 11-2 run to end the first half, and the faucet kept running as they continued their run, outscoring the Knicks 28-14 in the third.

But the fourth quarter was filled with ebbs and flows as the lead changed hands in the games final moments.

1st quarter

The Knicks got off to a quick start as Karl-Anthony Towns won the tip and then scored the game’s first basket.

He then got a block on the Pistons’ first possession, which led to an OG Anunoby dunk to take a 4-0 lead.

But Detroit found its footing, going on a 6-0 run led by Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson got the crowd started.

But Towns, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Anunoby ended up helping the Knicks jump out to a 10-8 lead before a coaches challenge on an out-of-bounds call was issued by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff on a Cade Cunningham play, which stood.

Jalen Brunson got on the board after the Pistons lost their only challenge of the game.

Hart followed with a wide-open three-pointer. Brunson knocked down a three-pointer after a Cunningham turnover to take an 18-8 lead.

A Duren put-back jam cut the deficit to single digits, which was followed by a Dennis Schröder tough jumper off the window.

Hart was left open again for an uncontested three-pointer to loud jeers from the crowd.

Another Cunningham turnover led to a Miles McBride three-pointer, and the Knicks took a 24-12 lead. With 3:32 to play in the quarter, a timeout was called.

The Pistons had five turnovers in the game’s first 8:28, which took the energy out of the arena.

Paul Reed got a put-back jam out of the timeout, but Brunson went on a quick 4-0 run to help the Knicks take a 26-14 lead.

Harris got fouled at 1:44 to play, knocking down both free throws to rejuvenate the crowd, which was waiting to explode in excitement.

A turnover by the Knicks led to more free throws for Harris, who got hammered at the rack.

A scramble by both teams led to a wide-open three-pointer for Towns before Ron Holland II was fouled with 0.08 seconds remaining, splitting the pair and giving the Knicks a 29-19 lead.

The Knicks shot 12/26 from the field and 5/10 from the three-point line while Detroit 7/19 and 0-6 from the the three-point line.

2nd quarter

Holland II opened the second quarter with a turnover, but it didn’t cost them.

Towns, who finished the first quarter with six points, was fouled by Harris and knocked down both free throws to extend the Knicks’ lead to 31-19.

Detroit got a shot clock violation on their next possession but the Knicks didn’t capitalize.

Malik Beasley got on the board with a contested layup. Holland II turned the ball over for the Pistons’ ninth time of the game.

He later fouled McBride on a rim contest leading to free throw which he connected on both.

Holland II turned down a wide open three point attempt, leading to the Pistons 10th turnover of the half.

He then got a turnover on Towns, who tackled Holland, leading to a take foul and a potential hostile act, which went under review.

Cunningham had to shove Holland away from Towns as he stood over him, which could have led to a technical foul for taunting, but no hostile acts were called, just a take foul.

Tim Hardaway Jr. went to the line for a freebie but missed it as he remained scoreless for the half.

Cunningham made a tough jump shot over Anunoby to cut the deficit to 10 points, but poor defensive rebounding led to Motor Cade getting a foul.

Anunoby went to the line to knock down both to take a 35-23 lead with 7:30 to play.

Hardaway Jr. ended his scoreless streak with a contested three-pointer, but a Towns offensive rebound and put-back texted the Knicks’ lead to 11.

Hardaway’s three-pointer was the first of the game for the Pistons, who were 0-11 prior to the make.

Looking for juice, during the timeout, Chauncey Billups and Bad Boys member Isiah Thomas were shown on the jumbotron to the fans’ amazement.

The Pistons had 26 points through 18 minutes of game time, but the fans complained about non-Pistons’ foul calls. Hart drew a foul but missed both free throws.

Thompson then ran over Brunson for an offensive foul, which led to expletive chants on the other end. He hit another three-pointer to take a 40-26 lead with 4:40 to play in the first half.

Thompson was fouled and sent to the line, breaking the Pistons’ cold streak as he made both.

Towns got called for a goal-tending violation before staring at the crowd after another contested bunny at the rim.

Hart got sent to the line after a brutal foul sent him to the floor by Harris as the Knicks took a 14-point lead.

Detroit is stagnant on offense as everyone is standing around hoping for someone to make a play, which Cunningham did as he blew by Anunoby for a contested lay-up.

Brunson drew a foul, sending him to the charity stripe, making both.

An airball by Cunningham led to an Anunoby wide-open dunk as the lead ballooned to 16.

Towns fouled Harris for the and-one to cut the deficit to 13 with 1:40 to play.

Cunningham pushed the ball up the floor, finding Hardaway Jr. for a wide-open three-pointer to cut the deficit to 10.

Then, another hustle play with 44.3 seconds by Harris cut the deficit to seven as the fans erupted.

Anunoby stopped the bleeding with a tough rim-run before Cunningham found Thompson for an alley-oop as the Pistons’ mini-run ended the first half with a 50-43 deficit.

The Pistons ended the first half on an 11-2 run to get back into the game.

Before the mini-run, they were plagued by a brutal lack of scoring in the first half of a must-win game. Harris was the only player in double figures with 14 points.

It was the same as usual for the Knicks, as Brunson (12 points), Hart (10 points), and Towns (13 points) were all in double figures.

Anunoby chipped in with eight points, McBride added five points, and Bridges added two to assist in the seven-point lead.

3rd quarter

Detroit opened the quarter with a jumper to cut the deficit to five as the chants of “Defense” filled the arena.

But sloppy play by Cunningham and Thompson led to consecutive turnovers.

Harris’s tough defense of Towns led to both men getting in each other’s faces, to the crowd’s amazement.

Harris got a strip on Towns but Brunson stripped Thompson leading to another rim run.

Cunningham came back with a floater to cut the lead back to five.

Cunningham off of an offensive tip-out dimed-up Duren to cut the lead to three.

Cunningham reincarnated the Taysaun Prince chase down as he met Brunson at the rim, leading to a Harris tough drive and field goal to cut the once 16-point deficit to one.

The Knicks called a timeout with 7:36 to play as a wave of “Detroit Basketball” chants rang out inside LCA.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and quarterback Jared Goff were shown on the jumbotron as the fans got more excited.

The swing continued as Thompson gave Detroit their first lead of the game. Cunningham extended the lead to three after a contested layup.

Trailing 55-52, Hart hit a dagger three-pointer to tie the game with under six minutes to play in the quarter.

Feeling the groove, Harris drained a jumper, followed by a Towns three-pointer.

With the play of the game Cunningham slammed it in the face of Towns as the crowd went bananas.

Brunson quieted the crowd with a shake-and-bake three-pointer to take a 61-59 lead, but Cunningham responded with a tough floater to tie the game.

Schröder got fouled and sent to the charity stripe. He then stripped Brunson in the backcourt, fell to the ground, got up, and dished to Cunningham for a running slam up the right side of the court, taking a 65-61 lead.

The run led to a timeout by the Knicks as LCA was jumping.

The Wiggle Man, Beasley, knocked down his first three-pointer of the game as the Pistons took a 68-61 lead with 1:05 to play.

Detroit notched seven blocks in the third quarter, including a nasty one on Bridges.

Towns drained a long-range three-pointer to cut the lead back to four, but Beasley followed with a three of his own.

In what could be consequential, Schröder picked Cameron Payne’s pockets, and instead of laying it up, he tossed the ball to Hardaway Jr., who dunked it after the buzzer, taking two points off the board.

The Pistons ended the quarter on a 28-14 run to take a 71-64 lead into the fourth quarter.

4th quarter

Schröder drew a defensive charge, leading to a Cunningham floater.

Cunningham got fouled on a fast-break rim run, sending him to the line as he split the free throws to take their largest lead of the game at 74-64.

Brunson quieted the crowd with a contested floater, but Beasley followed with a layup.

Brunson said, " Anything you can do, I can do better." He made a wide-open layup before Detroit called a timeout with seven seconds remaining on the shot clock.

Lions legend Calvin Megatron Johnson was shown on the Jumbotron, followed by another three-pointer by Beasley.

Bridges cut the lead back to single digits with a tough corner three.

Another turnover led to a Brunson bunny. Duren turned the ball over on a defensive rebound as the Knicks trailed by six before Bridges knocked down another three-pointer to cut the lead to 79-76 with 6:13 to play.

Cunningham sensed his team needed a bucket, went to the hole, and got fouled, making both.

Brunson made a bucket, and then Hart got fouled, splitting the pair to cut the Pistons’ lead to 81-79 with 5:23 to play.

Big Ben Wallace was shown on the jumbotron after the timeout to get the fans amped up for the stretch.

Hardaway Jr. knocked down a rim-rattling three, but Brunson made another clutch floater to cut the deficit to three.

He then made a tough three to tie the game with 3:55 to play. Schröder went one-on-one with Brunson, making a jumper himself to go back up two.

Brunson, playing hero ball, bricked a jumper, leading to another jumper by Cunningham to go up four with 3:06 to play.

Out of a timeout, the Knicks drew a wide-open three by Towns, but Hardaway Jr. bounced back with a three-pointer of his own.

Brunson made another contested floater, but Hardaway Jr. hit a wide-open free-throw line jumper.

Down two, Towns hit a long-range dagger three-pointer with 46.6 seconds remaining to take a 94-93 lead.

After a timeout, the Pistons put the ball in Cunningham’s hands, and he turned it over with 37.3 seconds remaining.

The Knicks took a timeout, sensing a commanding 3-1 lead with Game 5 in Madison Square Garden.

But Brunson missed a tough floater, leading to a Cunningham rebound and foul by Towns with 11.1 seconds remaining.

Bickerstaff, with his team trailing by one drew up a Play for Cunningham who missed a contested jumper.

During a scramble for the ball, Hardaway Jr. got fouled on a three-point attempt but the referees didn’t blow the whistle as the Knicks won 94-93.

Brunson finished the game with 32 points, and Towns, who hit the dagger three-pointer, finished with 27 points in the victory.

For the Pistons, Cunningham scored 25 points, and Harris scored 18 points in the heartbreaking loss. They face a tough challenge after falling 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Bickerstaff talked about the game’s final play and the no-call on Hardaway Jr.