New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles defended by Detroit Pistons forward Paul Reed (7) in the first half during Game 3 of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Knicks-Pistons Game 3 ends with controversial clock malfunction

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Apr 24, 2025 11:40 PM ET

The New York Knicks nearly got hurt by human error during Game 3 of their first-round series against the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons trailed the Knicks, 117-113, with just 3.2 seconds left inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. After Tobias Harris drained a corner three to cut the deficit to one, Knicks star Jalen Brunson was fouled and sent to the free throw line with half a second left on the clock.

Brunson drained the first foul shot and got orders from the Knicks’ bench to intentionally miss the second one to eat up the remaining clock. Brunson successfully clanked the shot off the rim, but the arena clock operator pressed the buzzer before any player touched the ball.

Tobias Harris makes the clutch corner 3, and the Buzzer goes off early after Brunson's intentionally missed free throwpic.twitter.com/s6TLaBLnCi
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 25, 2025

After reviewing the play, the referees awarded the Pistons a sideline inbound and kept the clock at 0.5 seconds. Fortunately for the Knicks, center Jalen Duren threw the ball out of bounds. New York was able to escape Detroit with a 118-116 win.

Jalen Duren had one job pic.twitter.com/CdyIpUg3FT
— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) April 25, 2025

Knicks swingman Josh Hart was asked about the play. The veteran called it an “example” of homecourt advantage.

“We’re in Detroit, bro. What do you expect?” said Hart. “They had the home court advantage. That’s Example A of homecourt advantage.”

"We're in Detroit, what do you expect? They had the home court advantage. That's example A of home court advantage"

– Josh Hart on the "clock malfunction" with 0.5 seconds left after Jalen Brunson's intentionally missed free throw in Game 3 pic.twitter.com/CEx6Tn5hi3
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 25, 2025

While Knicks fans were understandably at what felt like a serving of home cooking, the NBA sends neutral game clock operators to handle playoff games. But neutral or not, the clock operator truly could have impacted Thursday’s final result.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson discussed the clock malfunction situation at the end of Game 3:

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
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 25, 2025

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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