New York Knicks edged the Detroit Pistons 118-116 

Karl-Anthony Towns set the tone early, and Jalen Brunson finished strong as the New York Knicks edged the Detroit Pistons 118-116 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Towns poured in 11 of his 31 points in the first quarter, while Brunson, recently named the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year, delivered 12 of his 30 in the fourth, including back-to-back layups that gave the Knicks a late seven-point cushion.

“I thought the way we started the game was much better,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. “And, we made timely plays down the stretch.” Detroit, which snapped a 15-game playoff skid with a Game 2 win, has now lost eight straight home playoff games dating back to 2008—just one shy of the NBA record. Game 4 is set for Sunday in Detroit.