DETROIT (AP) 鈥� The left no doubt about their plan for in the opening minutes against the Detroit Pistons.
Karl-Anthony Towns took his team's first shot, made his first of four 3-pointers and scored five points in the opening minutes to start an 11-point quarter 鈥� more than he had in all of Game 2.
He finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots to lead the Knicks to a 118-116 victory that gave them a 2-1 lead in the first-round series on Thursday night.
鈥淗e set the tone offensively for us, and defensively as well,鈥� All-Star guard Jalen Brunson said. 鈥淭hat's the KAT we know.鈥�
Brunson scored 12 in the fourth quarter to finish with 30 points. But it was Towns' fast start that helped New York play from ahead for most of the night.
鈥淚 just got opportunities to do things on the offensive end," he said. 鈥淲e found a way in transition to get me some good looks, and I was able to capitalize of off that to start the night off.鈥�
If Detroit does not win Game 4 on Sunday, it might have a lot of nights off this spring.
Towns was coming off a 10-point performance in Game 2, which was one of the reasons the Pistons won in New York to even the series.
鈥淗e鈥檚 unfazed," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He鈥檚 been around. He鈥檚 got a lot of confidence. He bounced back. He can score a lot of different ways and he used his versatility to his strength.鈥�
Detroit tried to slow the 7-foot center down with Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris and others without much success.
鈥淲e knew he was going to be aggressive and that鈥檚 how he came out,鈥� Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Towns played the way the Knicks hoped he would in the playoffs after from Minnesota in a three-team trade.
His toughness, physical and mental, was also an asset against the ready-to-rumble Pistons.
In the final minute of the quarter, New York鈥檚 Mitchell Robinson and Detroit鈥檚 Paul Reed were engaged with each other and Towns intervened and pushed Reed, who had to be held back from retaliating.
鈥淲e just came to fight and give ourselves the best chance to win,鈥� Towns said. "We had to match their physicality, so I thought we did a good job of that.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Larry Lage, The Associated Press
