Brunson finished with a game-high 34 points, 12 of which came in the final period. After missing 15 games down the stretch in the regular season with a sprained right ankle, Brunson again appeared to tweak the same ankle, momentarily favoring the injury. Brunson would leave the game in the fourth to change his shoes. The time he checked back in, 9:06 left to play in the game, coincided with the start of the 21-0 run. “I think he went and grabbed his cape,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau joked. Towns added 23 points and was the only player on the floor to reach double figures in rebounds (11). This all sets up an interesting showdown in Game 2 on Monday night.

The Knicks, whose pressure defense forced a pair of turnovers to open the final period, turned the momentum quickly and embarked on a 21-0 run over a four-and-a-half-minute span to run away with the contest 123-112 and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. That fateful fourth quarter began on the wrong foot for the Pistons, who got whistled for a five-second violation when trying to inbound the ball on the first play of the period after Knicks guard Cameron Payne unexpectedly applied pressure in the backcourt. If that wasn't bad enough, Detroit committed a 24-second shot clock violation on the following possession.

Detroit entered the fourth quarter holding an eight-point lead. However, back-to-back turnovers to open the period started the Knicks' comeback. The Pistons' mishaps led to the Knicks outscoring the Pistons 15-7 at the beginning of the period. Cameron Payne (14 points) extended the run with a 3-pointer, which tied the game at 98 at the 7:47 mark. On New York's next possession, Jalen Brunson connected on a layup, which gave the Knicks a 100-98 lead. The Knicks would go on to outscore Detroit 28-7 through the first six minutes of the quarter. New York scored 40 points in the fourth. Brunson recorded a game-high 34 points, with 12 coming in the final quarter.