The New York Knicks won their first third quarter of their first round series against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. Using that 37-24 third quarter advantage and a big-time performance from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks won Game 6 and the series to set up a second round matchup with the Boston Celtics.
Coming out of halftime strong was one of the Knicks' biggest issues throughout the series. So much so that Mikal Bridges suggested the team should try doing layup lines ahead of the third quarter to get everyone moving. Well, they attempted it on Thursday and it seemed to work.
Still, Karl-Anthony Towns isn't willing to credit the structured re-warmup with their success in the closeout game just yet.
Karl-Anthony Towns on the Knicks winning today while utilizing layup lines at halftime:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 2, 2025
"I would hope it was more about the desperation of being in Game 6 in Detroit and less about the layup lines" 🤣 pic.twitter.com/qjTeUuHGS0
"I would hope that it was more about the desperation of being a Game 6 in Detroit, less about the layup lines," Towns said, "but we'll figure out if that was the reason. I hope it's not about a layup line."
Perhaps Towns's own performance is why he's reluctant to credit the layup line. He was just 1-of-2 in the third quarter and fouled out in the fourth, finishing with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Bridges, who suggested the tweak to the team's approach, scored the Knicks' first basket of the third on the team's very first possession and had 13 points and two assists in the quarter.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Knicks Star Refuses to Credit Layup Lines for Game 6 Turnaround vs. Detroit.
