Thursday night featured the first home playoff game for the Detroit Pistons in six years, and the atmosphere wasn't one that disappointed. The Pistons' crowd showed out in full force, knowing well what kind of opportunity was in front of their team.
After blowing a lead in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, Detroit knew they could have easily been heading to Motor City up 2-0, looking to make this series a sweep. With that in mind, Game 3 represented a chance to make up for that and put themselves in the driver's seat in this series.
But the Knicks weren't going to be an easy out even in the comfy confines of Little Caesars Arena, and the Pistons realized this quickly. Karl-Anthony Towns came alive from the opening tip and helped New York jump out to a 15-6 lead early in the first.
Cade Cunningham and company battled back, but it was an uphill climb the entire way. The Knicks retained a double-digit advantage deep into the fourth quarter. Even with the home crowd behind the Pistons, it was New York that repeatedly made clutch plays down the stretch and outperformed the home squad when it mattered most.
The Pistons need more out of Jalen Duren
Overall, Cunningham had another extremely solid performance, finishing with 24 points, 11 assists and four steals. But the result of this game served as a stark reminder that Detroit is going to need more out of Cade's supporting pieces if they are to continue their upward trajectory.
Yes, generally speaking, the Pistons are going to go as Cunningham goes. That's how it's supposed to work with a star player a lot of the time. But others like Jalen Duren will need to play up to their potential as well.
Duren has shown flashes of true stardom at times this season. He has made tremendous improvements as a rim protector, remained a monster on the boards, and has grown in creating his own offense apart from simply catching and finishing lobs.
It's the improvement he's made since the start of the season in October that has Pistons fans so excited about his future. But for Duren, consistency and improved mental fortitude will be the key.
His unforced turnover with 0.5 to go in the fourth quarter on Thursday was a reminder that he's not yet where he needs to be.
There's no need to wait around, either. Duren can make a statement while this series is still going on. With Karl-Anthony Towns playing so big for the Knicks, number zero has an opportunity to rise to the occasion in Game 4.