Jalen Brunson briefly disappeared from the Knicks’ bench.
Brunson had come up limping Saturday evening after his proper foot landed awkwardly within the third quarter of Recreation 1 in opposition to the Detroit Pistons, and he was not on the courtroom to start out the fourth.
However Brunson, in a unique pair of sneakers, returned with simply over 9 minutes left within the recreation — and fueled the Knicks’ come-from-behind 123-112 victory.
“I think he grabbed his cape,” head coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned afterward.
Brunson scored 12 of his game-high 34 factors within the fourth quarter, throughout which the Knicks unleashed a 21-0 run to erase an eight-point deficit and earn a 1-0 benefit within the best-of-seven first-round sequence.
“We were not going to just lay down and not fight,” Brunson mentioned. “We were going to figure out ways to keep battling. It turned rather quickly.”
Brunson stepped on Dennis Schröder’s foot throughout a lay-up try with 2:34 left within the third quarter however completed the interval. Cameron Payne then began the fourth quarter in Brunson’s place.
The Knicks had been trailing, 98-90, when Payne completed a lay-up and drew a foul with 9:06 left within the fourth quarter.
Brunson checked again in earlier than Payne made his free throw.
After which he took over.
Brunson made a floater on the Knicks’ subsequent possession to chop the deficit to 3. Payne drained a 3-pointer the following time down the ground to tie the sport, 98-98.
On the following possession, Brunson completed an inconceivable floater by means of contact, giving the Knicks a 100-98 lead.
They by no means trailed once more. The Knicks scored on 10 consecutive possessions throughout their torrid, game-turning run and outscored the Pistons, 40-21, within the fourth.
Payne scored 11 of his 14 factors within the fourth quarter.
It was Brunson’s fifth recreation again since he sprained his proper ankle on March 6 — an damage that saved him out for a month.
“I feel great,” Brunson mentioned after Saturday’s win, specifying that he didn’t go to the Knicks’ locker room throughout his temporary absence however declining to say the place he went.
The sixth-seeded Pistons gained the regular-season sequence in opposition to the third-seeded Knicks, 3-1, largely on the energy of their perimeter capturing. They totaled 52 made 3-pointers throughout these 4 conferences and shot 41.3% from behind the arc.
It was extra of the identical by means of three quarters Saturday. The Pistons entered the fourth quarter with a 91-83 lead after capturing 13-of-24 on 3-pointers to that time.
Lots of these open seems had been the results of the Knicks paying further consideration to Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who averaged 30.8 factors per recreation in opposition to them within the common season.
Cunningham completed with 21 factors on simply 8-of-21 capturing with 12 assists, with OG Anunoby working as his main defender. Mikal Bridges had been Cunningham’s predominant defender throughout the season.
“I was just trying to make it as difficult as possible,” Anunoby mentioned. “Make his catches difficult, pressure him, be aggressive, and just try to force him into tough shots.”
The Knicks pressured six turnovers throughout the lopsided fourth quarter and restricted the Pistons to 2-of-8 capturing on 3-pointers. The Pistons completed 15-of-32 (46.9%) on 3-point makes an attempt.
Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 25 factors however managed solely three within the second half.
“You want to be strong on both sides of the ball,” Thibodeau mentioned.
Brunson, in the meantime, began the sport simply 2-of-13 from the sector, repeatedly searching for and drawing contact however failing to attract foul calls.
“I felt like they had a good game plan, and I just had to reset,” Brunson mentioned. “I found a way to get going in the second half. Teammates have the utmost confidence in me, and I appreciate that to the fullest. I just had to find a way to reset and regain composure.”
Brunson completed 12-of-27. He has now scored no less than 30 factors in 12 playoff video games with the Knicks, tying him with Willis Reed for the second most in franchise historical past.
Anunoby scored 23 factors, as did Karl-Anthony Cities, who went 10-of-14 from the sector in his Knicks postseason debut. Bridges completed with 9 factors and didn’t play the primary 10 minutes of the fourth quarter.
Saturday marked the fifteenth consecutive playoff loss for the Pistons, who’re showing within the postseason for the primary time since 2019. Detroit completed an NBA-worst 14-68 final season, throughout which it misplaced a single-season document 28 consecutive video games, however grew to become the primary staff to triple its win complete from one 12 months to the following.
Cunningham and fellow Pistons starters Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson all made their postseason debuts in Recreation 1.
The sequence continues Monday evening, when the Knicks host Recreation 2 on the Backyard.
“Give them a lot of credit: They pushed us, and we found a way in the fourth quarter to get stops and found a way to win,” Brunson mentioned. “But it’s important, no matter what game it is. When you get a win, it does a lot for your confidence. Tomorrow, you reset and refocus and get ready for Game 2.”
Initially Revealed: April 19, 2025 at 9:06 PM EDT
