DETROIT — With 0.5 seconds left and the Knicks leading by two, Jalen Brunson intentionally missed his second free throw.

Due to a mistake by the timekeeper, it nearly let the Pistons get off a potential game-winning shot.

An accidental whistle shall be considered as a signal for the clock to start, provided the ball was in the air when the whistle was blown, not when a player made contact with it. In such a situation, possession is awarded to the team that secures the rebound. In this particular case, Detroit took advantage of this rule discrepancy and was able to gain a free timeout due to the mistake.

However, the Pistons threw the ball away, and the Knicks survived with a 118-116 Game 3 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the opening-round series.

“We’re in Detroit, bro. What did you expect?” Josh Hart said. “They had the home-court advantage. That’s example A of home-court advantage.

“He missed it on purpose. I guess that’s the reason why you go ahead and make it, because they’re going to give them a shot.”

Asked if he thought the scorer’s table did it on purpose, Hart joked: “We’re in Detroit, bro. What do you think?”

Coach Tom Thibodeau said he didn’t receive an explanation from the officials.

“It doesn’t seem right to me,” he said. “It’s unfortunate. That should never happen ever in a playoff game. Never happen.”

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The Knicks will be going overseas next preseason.

They will play preseason games in Abu Dhabi against the 76ers on Oct. 2 and 4, the league announced on Thursday.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that the NBA has played preseason games in Abu Dhabi.

It signed a deal with tourism officials in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

Brunson was named the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year on Wednesday night, beating out Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves and Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets.

Brunson averaged an NBA-high 5.6 points in clutch situations, defined as possessions in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points.

He also led the league in field goals made (52) and ranked second in total points (156) and third in total assists (28).

“It means a lot,” Brunson said on Thursday. “It’s a credit to us winning close games and my teammates and coaches having my back.”