The Detroit Pistons couldn’t get over the hump against the Knicks in game three of their very competitive series.
Credit to the Knicks, as they hit big shots, got big games from their stars, clamped down on defense when they needed to, and were able to hold the Pistons off after building a 13-point halftime lead.
Detroit never really got in sync but kept battling back only to miss a crucial shot, usually followed by a make by the Knicks. It was a game of runs and New York had the better stretches.
The Pistons battled until the end in front of an elite crowd (well done), but it’s a make or miss league and the Knicks made more big shots.
The good news is that the Pistons played poorly and still almost stole a win, which should give them confidence in game four. They’ll likely be kicking themselves for some missed shots and bad fouls, but this series is far from over.
But there’s no way to sugarcoat it, game three was a rough one for two key players for the Pistons.
Malik Beasley
After a strong start in game one, Malik Beasley has gone 3-of-18 from long range and the misses tonight were killers.
Time and time again Beasley had a chance to turn the momentum of the game with a make, but he just couldn’t get one to fall.
Beasley is vital to the Pistons attack, especially on a night when buckets were tough to come by.
He’s been a streaky shooter all season, with far more good streaks than bad, but right now Beasley is struggling.
Tobias Harris
I can’t give Harris much grief, as he was huge in games 1 and 2 and has the toughest defensive assignment of any Pistons player.
It showed tonight, as Harris picked up early fouls and wasn’t able to get into any kind of rhythm offensively.
He finished the game with just five points, all of which were scored late, and he really wasn’t a factor offensively.
The Knicks did a good job knocking Cade Cunningham off his spots and forcing him to give up the ball, so tonight was a night when they needed their secondary guys to step up. The Pistons can survive one of Beasley or Harris being off, but both of them broke is the nightmare scenario.
It’s disappointing that the home crowd wasn’t treated to a win, but the Pistons will respond as they have all season.
The Pistons know they can play better, and they’ll have to if they want to win game four.