The New York Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals after narrowly escaping the Detroit Pistons 116-113 Thursday night.
Tied 113-113 with 5.1 seconds remaining, the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson hit a 3-pointer to give New York the lead and keep its playoff journey alive. The Knicks move on to play the Boston Celtics in the second round, which begins Monday at TD Garden.
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Knicks 116, Pistons 113
(New York wins series 4-2)
Jalen Brunson saves the Knicks
Brunson got the last laugh in Detroit, again, and it saved the Knicks from more disappointment.
After he crossed up Ausar Thompson and drilled the 3, the Pistons turned the ball over on the next possession with a chance to tie. Brunson, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, scored 40 points on the night, despite being hounded by Thompson.
JALEN BRUNSON FROM 3 TO WIN IT FOR THE KNICKS 🔥🔥🔥
KNICKS ARE ADVANCING TO EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS!!!#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google pic.twitter.com/sGmjcWhNdj
— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2025
New York had two separate double-digit leads that it squandered in the game, up by 15 in the first half and leading by 11 going into the fourth. The Knicks’ offense was either playing fast and with ball movement or stagnant and loose with the ball. New York traded its struggling third quarters for a bad second quarter in which the Pistons outscored the Knicks by 16.
In the end, though, Detroit did some fumbling of its own and dropped a five-point lead in the final minutes.
The Knicks will face a Celtics team that they haven’t beaten all season. It’ll be an uphill climb for New York to be competitive with the defending champions, but a chance is better than no chance, which is what was close to happening if not for Brunson’s heroics multiple times throughout this series. — James L. Edwards III, Knicks beat writer
Pistons fall short but should be celebrated
It all came down to the fourth quarter. The Pistons won the second 38-22 and then the Knicks won the third 37-24. Detroit and New York traded blows throughout the fourth, with the crowd at Little Caesars Arena going through a rollercoaster of emotions.
But Brunson stepped up to score his 40th point of the evening in what would be the game winner. All in a matter of a possession, the Pistons’ season came to an end. Detroit had one final play to even the score, but Cade Cunningham was double-teamed and kicked to Malik Beasley, who let the ball slip off his fingers and out of bounds.
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Although the Pistons fell short in six games, this is undoubtedly a season that should be celebrated.
After winning a franchise-worst 14 games last season, Detroit has returned to relevance this season and took third-seeded New York to six games. The team did it without starting shooting guard Jaden Ivey and valuable role player Isaiah Stewart, who played just 19 minutes in game one before never seeing the floor again in the series due to right knee inflammation.
An offseason of difficult decisions for the Pistons begins now. — Hunter Patterson, Pistons beat writer
(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
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