The New York Knicks won their series, 4-2, over the Detroit Pistons. Some of their top performers were point guard Jalen Brunson, who had averaged 31.5 points and 8.2 assists per game, center Karl-Anthony Towns who had averaged 19.7 points and 10 rebounds per game and small forward Ogugua “OG” Anunoby Jr., who had averaged 17.3 points per game with 2.5 steals per game.
The Knicks closed out the Pistons in Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on May 1. Brunson was the leading scorer of the game, with 40 points. He was 15 for 33 from the field, and 3 for 10 from the three-point line. One of those three-pointers was the dagger to seal the game with five seconds left on the clock during the fourth quarter.
During a physical first quarter, the Knicks had looked like they were on fire during the start of the game. For around two minutes they went on an 8 to 0 run which had put them up 20 to 8. They were landing all their shots. The Pistons stayed within an 8-point range until the end of the first quarter. Knicks bench player shooting guard Miles McBride hit a wide open three point shot with two seconds remaining in the first. The score was 37-23, favoring the Knicks.
To start the second quarter, the Pistons were on the board first, with a dunk by guard Ausar Thompson along with making two free throws after getting fouled. The Knicks responded quickly; Anunoby had made a 28-foot three-pointer extending the lead and Towns had the assist. There was a lot of back and forth by both teams offensively and defensively. The Pistons had slowly made a comeback closing the significant cap in the second quarter.
It all started with point guard Cade Cunningham throwing an ‘alley-oop’ layup to center Jalen Duren, who had also got fouled on the way up. He made his free throw to tie the game 51 to 51. From this point, the score was neck and neck until the quarter closed out.
At the end of the quarter the Pistons had taken the lead 61 to 59 due to shooting guard Malik Beasley hitting a three-pointer as the clock went to zero to end the quarter.
In the third quarter, both teams were going back and forth, making it a tight game with lead changes by both teams. With six minutes left in the quarter, the Knicks had tightened up on defense and started answering on offense more.
They went up by 10, the score now 81-73. The Pistons had made an attempt to make a comeback trying to cut their lead, but they were unsuccessful and finished the quarter with a 10-point deficit. The Knicks were in the lead going into the fourth and final quarter of the game.
The last quarter would decide whether the Knicks were going to move on to the next round or if the Pistons would push to a game seven. They were down 10 and determined to push to a game seven. They fought to come back the whole quarter they had managed to tie it up. The score was tied 105 to 105.
After tying the game, the Pistons managed to take the lead. They had outscored the Knicks 20 to 2 for five minutes and 45 seconds with two and a half minutes remaining in the final quarter. The score was 112-105.
The Knicks didn’t want to go back to Madison Square Garden to face elimination. They locked up on defense and managed to tie the game with small forward Mikal Bridges making a tip shot with 35.1 seconds left in the game. Cunningham had missed a layup on the following possession and was rebounded by small forward Josh Hart.
This was the last possession in the game and the ball was given to the 2025 NBA Clutch Player of the Year, Brunson, as he went up the court. Thompson was the defender on him. Brunson went at him with a cross over, Thompson fell, created a space and landed a 25-foot three-pointer.
They had defeated the Pistons, 116-113. The Knicks move on to the next round to face the reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics. Fans now speculate whether the Knicks can take down the Celtics. Game one of that series took place on May 5 at 7 p.m.
