At the end of the New York Knicks' 118-116 Game 3 win, Jalen Brunson intentionally missed a free throw with 0.5 seconds left to prevent the Detroit Pistons from getting a scoring chance. The timekeeper made sure they got one anyway.
When Brunson clanked his second free throw off the rim, the shot clock started inadvertently and the buzzer sounded, though no player had touched the ball. The officials huddled and ruled that the Pistons had "imminent possession" of the rebound, giving them a chance to inbound for a desperation play.
The play ended up being moot when Detroit inexplicably chose to have center Jalen Duren inbound the ball, who took about five steps along the sideline before throwing the ball out of bounds.
In their postgame interview, Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns gave a "shoutout" to the scorer's table that allowed the Pistons an improbable chance to tie the game.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson discussed the clock malfunction situation at the end of Game 3:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 25, 2025
KAT: "10 years I ain't never seen that. They gave 'em a chance. I got nothing but respect for that"
Brunson: "They need a raise for that. Smart on their part" pic.twitter.com/K1KlniEbjk
Despite Towns' comments, timekeepers in the NBA playoffs are neutral, not provided by the home team. It may not make the Knicks feel better, but the mistake was incompetence, not cheating.
The Knicks took back home-court advantage for the first-round series with the victory, grabbing a 2-1 series lead. Unfortunately for Towns and his team, that doesn't mean the Knicks get to control the clock in Games 5 and 7, if necessary.
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