Grading the Knicks’ 118-116 Game 3 win over the Pistons in Detroit on Thursday night:
Jalen Brunson: B+
Didn’t shoot well at all but played smart and winning basketball as the point guard, dishing out nine assists with just one turnover and taking over in clutch time.
Sending the hostile crowd in Detroit — which had been chanting profanity at Brunson all night — must’ve felt sweet.
Karl-Anthony Towns: A
Went from passive in Game 2 to aggressive in Game 3 — House KAT to Alley KAT.
Led all scorers and showed fight early by attacking Tobias Harris and shoving Detroit center Paul Reed in a small scuffle.
Mikal Bridges: A-
Just solid overall and efficient, doing the things the Knicks need from their role player.
His best playoff performance as a Knick helped us forget about missing those clutch shots in Game 2.
OG Anunoby: A-
Only scored two points fewer than the man he was guarding, Cade Cunningham, and that’s a huge plus for the Knicks in any matchup versus the Pistons.
Another strong two-way effort from New York’s top defender. Only gripe is missing too many open shots.
Josh Hart: B
Filled the role as the energy guy and connector, picking up 11 boards and nine assists.
Knicks got what they needed from Hart while relying on others for shotmaking.
Bench: D+
Some rebounding from Mitchell Robinson but that’s about it from the reserves, who totaled nine points. Big night from the starters.
Tom Thibodeau: B+
No lineup or rotational adjustments but the Knicks moved the ball, dealt better with Detroit’s physicality, and got Karl-Anthony Towns involved.
Those were all big concerns after Game 2, and the Knicks adjusted positively so the coach deserves credit.
