The NBA playoffs continued Thursday with three Game 3s, with only the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in position to take a 3-0 series lead.
Here are the results and key takeaways from Thursday’s games:
Thunder 114, Pistons 108
Things went from great to bad to worse for the Memphis Grizzlies — who lost star Ja Morant to a hip injury — on Thursday night in a heartbreaking loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who claimed a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round series after staging the biggest playoff comeback in NBA history.
Oh, no, not Ja
With the Grizzlies up 67-40 with 3:15 remaining in the second quarter, Morant took a hard foul from Lu Dort and eventually exited the game and was ruled out with what the team said was a hip injury.
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Memphis led 77- 51 at the half, tying the franchise mark for most points in a playoff game and posting the second-largest halftime lead in team postseason history. The Grizzlies led by as many as 29 and tried to hold on with Morant, but it was too tall of a task.
Morant’s status isn’t yet known, but we’ll likely learn more about his status Friday.
The Thunder rolls
Oklahoma City outscored the Grizzlies 36-18 in the third quarter, but it wasn’t done there.
Led by Chet Holmgren’s 23 second-half points, the Thunder chipped away as Memphis lacked the go-to scoring to hold off the West’s top seed.
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The Thunder took their first lead at 109-108 with 1:20 remaining in the game on a Jalen Williams free throw and never looked backed. The held the Grizzlies to 13 fourth-quarter points as they won the period by 14 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 26 shots and added eight assists and four rebounds.
Knicks 118, Pistons 116
The New York Knicks, powered by Karl-Anthony Town’s forceful play and reemergence, turned back the Detroit Pistons to win Game 3 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to take a 2-1 first-round series lead and reclaim home-court advantage.
KAT is back
A major storyline after the Knicks’ loss in Game 2 was how New York and point guard Jalen Brunson would get the big man going after he posted 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 33 minutes.
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Towns took matters into his own hands Thursday night, hitting three first-quarter 3s on his way to 31 points and eight rebounds.
Towns forced the action and had 17 first-half points to set the tone for the Knicks in a hostile environment.
That’s the kind of star performance New York expected when they acquired him before the start of the season, and the Knicks will need that level of play if they want to go deep in the postseason.
The new Mr. Clutch
Brunson took home the NBA Clutch Player of the Year honor on Wednesday and showed why he was a deserving winner in Game 3.
With Detroit refusing to go quietly after storming back in the third quarter and again in the fourth, Brunson took control, posting 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting with two assists in the period.
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New York led 102-91 with 6:56 remaining, but Detroit never gave up, cutting the lead to 104-101 with 4:42 left and staying pesky until the very end.
But Brunson responded with a mid-range jumper with 4:10 left and hit a pair of layups to give New York a 112-105 cushion, which they would need every bit of. Brunson finished with 30 points on 9-of-20 shooting with nine assists and seven rebounds
This should be the formula for the Knicks: KAT powering the offense, and Brunson being the closer. It’s a fine line to navigate, but it’s one the Knicks need to depend on for sustained success.
Yes, Karl-Anthony Towns had it going from 3 in Game 3 on Thursday night in Detroit. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Gregory Shamus via Getty Images)
What was going on at the end?
The Knicks led 116-110 with 23 seconds remaining in the contest, but from there things seemed to last forever.
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With the Knicks leading 116-113 with 5.3 seconds remaining, referee Zach Zarba appeared to miss a backcourt violation on Brunson.
Then with .5 seconds left and the Knicks up 118-116, Brunson attempted to intentionally miss his second free throw after making the first. But a clock error somehow gave the Pistons the ball after a review, and they promptly threw the ball away on the ensuing inbound, oddly prompting yet another review.
Mercifully, New York finally ended the game on the next possession.
NBA officiating remains maddeningly undefeated.
