Madison Square Garden was ready to celebrate on a night with all the makings of the New York Knicks finally winning a series-clinching game at home. From opening introductions to the end of the first half, the crowd erupted with every bucket and big play; it sure seemed like destiny.
Minutes away from the opening tip and the Garden is ROCKING for @nyknicks intros
#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/E6kKjU3NZ7— Bobby Santoro (@bsantoro112) April 29, 2025
Unfortunately for New York, the Pistons had other plans and won their second game of the series (both at the Garden) to send it back to Little Caesars Arena for Game 6 Thursday night. Cade Cunningham (24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists) and Ausar Thompson (22 points) led the way for Detroit, while the Knicks used a balanced scoring attack from their starters tonight, with none eclipsing the 20-point mark.
Jalen Brunson finished with 17 points, breaking his streak of consecutive playoff games with 30+ points in playoff games with New York. Brunson was held in check for the first half, going 1-7 with six points, and his only made-field goal came towards the end of the half.
The scoring for the Knicks in the first half came first from Josh Hart in the opening frame, followed by Karl-Anthony Towns in the second quarter, each putting up nine points in those quarters. Detroit kept grinding, with Cunningham struggling during the first half; the veteran Tobias Harris, who provided ten points in his 21+ minutes of play, helped the Pistons go into the half down 50-49.
The Achilles heel for this Knicks team all season long has been their struggles in the third quarter, and it showed once again tonight. Brunson began to come alive, knocking down a couple of shots and scoring seven points, along with Hart and OG Anunoby finding ways to the basket. Still, fouls and turnovers helped Detroit gain momentum throughout the quarter.
The Pistons were not only beginning to hit their shots but were also taking full advantage of being sent to the charity stripe and cashing in on those opportunities. Thomson and Cunningham went a combined 8-10 from the line, and Detroit outscored the Knicks 28-24 in the quarter, taking a 77-74 lead heading into the fourth.
Mikal Bridges did all he could in the 4th quarter to take over and provide the offense that New York was missing, with Brunson spending most of the quarter on the bench. The crowd rose as the New York and Detroit traded blows down the stretch. After KAT drilled a three to tie the game at 95, Detroit went on a run and led by six with under 30 seconds to go.
Bridges buried a three to cut the deficit to 103-100, and after Dennis Schroder split a pair at the line, OG Anunoby somehow got a three to fall with Cunningham all over him, making it a 104-103 game with under six seconds to play.
With the Garden going wild, Cunningham showed ice in his veins, knocking down both free throws and pushing the lead back to three. Detroit fouled Duece McBride, preventing the Knicks from attempting a game-tying three. They were able to escape and survive with a chance to bring things back to New York for game seven.
The loss is a heartbreaker for the Knicks, but this team has shown it can overcome adversity. Would it have been pure drama to finally clinch their first playoff series win at home for the first time since 1999? Sure. But now isn’t the time for what could have been. They will need to go into Little Caesars Arena Thursday night, in front of a fired-up Detroit crowd, and do what they have done twice already in this series. Win on the road.
