Final Score:
New York Knicks (103) vs Detroit Pistons (106)
The Detroit Pistons are going home for Game 6 on a high, having fought out a gritty victory against the Knicks.
New York to Detroit – they’re returning, and for this young Pistons team, it means the world.
Up and up. Time and time again.
Down 3-1 on the road at Madison Square Garden? Believe that fazed them?
This same nucleus lost 28 consecutive games a year ago. That was pressure.
But this?
This is enjoyment – as Cade Cunningham reminded everyone following their devastating Game 4 loss at Little Caesars Arena.
This is the playoffs. And who even dared to dream they’d be here?
Well, they did.
Just as they thought they’d force a Game 6 back to Detroit.
Dismiss them at your own peril. Not tonight.
Perhaps they didn’t anticipate beating the Knicks this way, though. New York had trimmed the lead to one point with 27 seconds remaining, having trailed by six – and had three chances to tie.
If not for Cade Cunningham’s game-saving pair of free throws, who knows?
New York could’ve pilfered Detroit’s heart.
But not this night.
Not tonight.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff was correct.
He didn’t forecast this 106–103 win that sent the Pistons to a 3–2 position in the first-round series. But he foreshadowed it pregame.
Game 5, he said, was about how quickly his young team could learn and apply lessons – not only game to game, but quarter to quarter.
And they did just that – shutting down Knicks’ late surges, outplaying them when it mattered most.
Bickerstaff himself is improvising. Always adjusting.
He’s frequently substituted Ausar Thompson with shooters in late-game situations throughout this series. In Game 1, it was understandable – Thompson was in foul trouble.
But Game 5?
This was Thompson’s game – just as much as it was Cunningham’s. For all his frustrating shooting night, Cade knocked down the game’s largest three-pointer and sank two nail-biting free throws.
In the fourth, he attacked the rim – and turned it over just once. He’s learning too.
And demonstrated it from first to second half.
In the first half?
He accumulated two quick fouls – just like Jalen Duren. Some were questionable.
Then a third just before halftime.
Bickerstaff gambled, leaving Cade in until pulling him with two minutes remaining in the half.
The Pistons did not need him – particularly with Dennis Schröder running the offense.
Despite this, Cunningham struggled. Fouls didn’t hurt. Neither did some loose passes and unforced turnovers.
There were moments where he had patience – particularly reading Knicks’ double-teams to pass to Duren in the lane, creating 4-on-3 situations.
Duren was omnipresent.
He found Thompson cutting along the baseline frequently, making precise passes that resulted in thunderous dunks.
Tobias Harris, on the other hand, suffered a scrape on the face in battling for a rebound – caught by Duren’s flailing arm.
He fell, tossed his mouthguard, and required a few minutes.
But when action resumed, he nailed a corner three and followed it up with a midrange jumper.
Pain or not – he played through it.
Beasley dropped a few threes, and even though Cade was 1-of-6 in the first half, Detroit held tight.
They were down only one at halftime.
Then – again like Games 1 and 2 at MSG – New York came out on fire to begin the third.
But this time, with Thompson leading the charge, Detroit countered with tough defense.
Had they not missed free throws, they might have extended the lead to double digits.
Nevertheless, New York closed the gap and entered the fourth down only three.
But this wasn’t any fourth quarter – this was the fourth quarter Bickerstaff had been waiting for.
The Pistons played like they knew they belonged.
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Detroit beats New York Knicks 106–103 in Game 5 to remain alive in the Eastern Conference First Round series on Tuesday night.
The Knicks now lead the series 3–2.
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham paced the team with a career-high 24 points, with Tobias Harris chipping in 22.
In accordance with ESPN Stats, Cunningham had his fourth 20-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist playoff game, tying Isiah Thomas (1987) for the third-most in a single postseason in Pistons history.
- OG Anunoby paced the Knicks with 19 points.
- Jalen Brunson struggled, managing only 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
- Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each contributed 17.
New York has lost five consecutive potential series-clinching home games – the longest sequence of any kind in NBA playoff history.