For the first time in this fun series, the Knicks played with a lead in Thursday’s Game 3 and played like they deserved to win. It started in the opening quarter, with Mikal Bridges or Josh Hart frequently bringing up the ball while providing Brunson a respite — while Karl-Anthony Towns soaked up the majority of scoring opportunities.

“That’s the beauty of Jalen as a leader,” Wright, who coached the New Jersey-born Brunson to two NCAA championships at Villanova, told NJ Advance Media at the at the 92nd annual MBWA All-Met Haggerty Awards Dinner on Thursday.

This loss may be less concerning than the fact that the same Pistons who went 3-1 against the Knicks during the regular season, with Cade Cunningham the biggest reason why, have led most of this series with Cunningham the biggest reason why, and would be up 2-0 if not for New York’s 21-0 fourth-quarter run Saturday.