Brunson scores 40, Knicks top
Pistons 116-113 in Game 6, advance to 2nd-round series with Celtics
[May 02, 2025]
By LARRY LAGE
DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Brunson's crossover dribble between his legs
created space for a game-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left and
he blew a kiss to a quiet crowd that relentlessly taunted him for
three games.
Brunson finished with 40 points to lead the New York Knicks to a
116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night in Game 6 and
into the second round of the NBA playoffs.
“I stay poised and I rely on the trust and composure my teammates
give me," Brunson said.
A week after the point guard won the NBA’s clutch player of the year
award, he lived up to the billing.
“He’s at his best when his best is needed and he’s done it all
year," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "That’s what makes him
special.”
Detroit didn't get a shot off to potentially tie the game and send
it to overtime because Malik Beasley fumbled a pass with four-tenths
of a second left.
“This is tough,” said Beasley, who had 16 points in the second
quarter and finished with 20. “I had a chance to make a three and
tie the game. I’m mad about that.”
The third-seeded Knicks will face second-seeded Boston, shooting to
advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since
2000.
Game 1 is Monday night in Boston.
“They’re the defending champion so we’re going to have to be at our
best,” Thibodeau said.
Mikal Bridges had 25 points and OG Anunoby added 22 for the Knicks,
who closed the game out with clutch shots and stops after losing an
11-point lead in the fourth quarter and a 15-point advantage in the
second quarter.
The sixth-seeded Pistons had an unprecedented turnaround during the
regular season and ended the NBA’s longest playoff losing streak in
their first postseason appearance since 2019, but broke another
league mark with a 10th straight setback at home dating to 2008.
[to top of second column] |
President of the New York Knicks Leon Rose, left, hugs guard Jalen
Brunson (11) as they leave the court following a Game 6 win in an
NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Detroit
Pistons, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane
Burleson)
“We proved to ourselves and to the rest of the
league that what we have in our room can be very successful,”
Cunningham said.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham had 23 points, eight assists and seven
rebounds. Cunningham was 0 for 8 on 3-pointers and his backcourt
mate Tim Hardaway Jr. was 1 of 6 beyond the arc and scored seven
points.
Hardaway made a jumper to put Detroit ahead 112-105 with 2:35 left
and Brunson responded by scoring the next five points.
Cunningham missed a contested layup with 22 seconds left that when
the score was 113-all and Brunson took advantage of the opportunity
to win it on the next possession.
“We did so many things well and gave ourselves a chance,” Detroit
coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “They just made one more play than we
did.”
Brunson was booed almost every time he touched the ball in the
series and heard much worse than that in Game 3.
It was so vulgar that Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr came to
Brunson's defense.
Thibodeau, though, said no one can rattle Brunson.
“His focus is terrific," Thibodeau said. "He doesn’t get sidetracked
with anything but the game. He’s not thinking about what people say,
or fans.”
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