NEW YORK, NY — In Game 4 of the Pistons-Knicks first round playoff series on Sunday afternoon, New York’s superstar big man Karl-Anthony Towns showed the world once again where he stands as one of the best NBA shooting bigs to ever do it.
Putting his sensational sharp-shooting skills on display while stepping up when it mattered most in crunch-time—during the fourth quarter on the road with the game in reach for both sides—the seven-foot Dominican-American was simply tough as nails, helping propel the Knicks to a 94-93 Game 4 nail-biting win and commanding 3-1 lead in the best of the seven series.
“They (Detroit) want to fight for their city and as much as they are fighting for their city, we are trying to fight for our city,” explained Towns following Game 4 when asked about the physicality throughout the Pistons-Knicks first four meetings.
“I think this is a great series for the NBA, a little bit of old school vibes. This is great for kids watching who haven’t been able to see old-school basketball to see this kind of reminiscent game of old school physicality. I’m just honored to be part of it.”
ICE In His Veins
Eight of twenty seven of KAT’s points on Sunday came in the fourth quarter as he finished Game 4 shooting 10-23 from the field, 5-7 from three and 2-2 from the free throw line.
But there were two shots during crunch-time that stood out most—a jaw dropping fadeaway while falling out of bounds and a highly contested triple for the lead from over 30 feet out.
An unreal sequence in the matter of less than a minute.
“He has tremendous confidence and an amazing touch,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Towns. “He shoots the ball like a guard and has unlimited range. He can score off the dribble, back to the basket and in a lot of different ways. When he is moving around, that is usually when he is the hardest to guard.”
Even during his and the Knicks’ time of various dry spells, the 29-year-old from New Jersey still stamped his mark on additional aspects of the affair, muscling his way for nine rebounds, to go along with an assist and a block.
Swishin’ and Dishin’ for Brunson
Just as clutch as Towns was his teammate, captain of the Knicks and 2024-2025 NBA Clutch Player of the Year, Jalen Brunson, dropping 32 points with 11 assists, five rebounds and one block, which made for a game-high in scoring and assists.
In the fourth quarter, returning to the game after tweaking his right ankle earlier in the second half, Brunson, like KAT, stepped up, scoring 15 points in the closing frame.
“I just really needed to re-adjust,” stated Brunson of returning back to the game. “I had to make sure I was mentally ready to go back in the game because I was going back in the game, there really wasn’t a doubt regardless if I was stumbling or not.”
What’s Next?
Towns, Brunson and the Knicks will look to close out the first round series this coming Tuesday night, April 27, at Madison Square Garden, as New York is up three games to one (3-1) on Detroit in the best of seven series.
Tip-off for Game 5 is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET with television coverage on TNT.
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