Jalen Brunson’s late 3-pointer dooms Pistons; Knicks advance
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Jalen Brunson’s clutch 3 in final seconds wins series for Knicks (1:13)
Jalen Brunson knocks down a huge 3-pointer in the closing seconds to put the Knicks ahead in their series-clinching win over the Pistons. (1:13)
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ESPN News Services
May 1, 2025, 10:48 PM ET
DETROIT — Jalen Brunson made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds left and finished with 40 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night and into the conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs.
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.”
In the fourth quarter, the Pistons went on a 20-2 run to take a seven-point lead with 2:35 left; at that point, the Knicks had a 7% chance to win, according to ESPN Analytics.
But New York ended the game on an 11-1 run.
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 3 and tie the game. I’m mad about that.”
The third-seeded Knicks, shooting to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000, will next face second-seeded Boston.
Mikal Bridges had 25 points and OG Anunoby added 22 for the Knicks.
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.
“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.”
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham had 23 points, 8 assists and 7 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
