The New York Knicks love to make every game dramatic, and it happened once again on Thursday night as they somehow found a way to secure a series win over the Detroit Pistons by winning 116-113 behind Jalen Brunson’s game-winner. New York will now advance to the second round to take on the Boston Celtics, while Detroit has officially been eliminated from the playoffs.
Jalen Brunson put on his cape and saved the day for the Knicks
This game was a complete roller coaster. New York jumped to a 14-point lead in the first quarter before completely squandering it at halftime. Then, an 11-point fourth quarter lead quickly turned into a seven-point Pistons lead with just over two minutes remaining.
Things seemed set up to head back to Madison Square Garden for a Game 7, but then Brunson did what he has always done in the biggest moments. Brunson scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and made a few huge shots to crawl the Knicks back within a possession.
Suddenly, they found themselves tied at 113 with the ball and enough time to get off the final shot. Brunson wound the clock down at the top of the key before going left and crossing over Ausar Thompson to his right, leaving him enough room to take a game-winning three-pointer with approximately four seconds remaining. Money.
That shot gave Brunson 40 points on the night, his fifth 30-point game this postseason. It was also the shot to send the Pistons home on their home floor, making for one of the most iconic shots in Knicks playoff history.
“Once he got separation, I knew it was curtains,” Mikal Bridges said on Brunson’s game-winner (h/t NBA on X).
Mikal Bridges put in a very strong performance in Game 6
Mikal Bridges had a strange series, with some strong performances mixed in with a few clunkers. However, he was doing all of the right things in Game 6 and made a huge impact on both ends of the floor.
Bridges finished with 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting and four rebounds. He shot 1-for-4 from three, noticeably taking fewer outside shots and being more aggressive as a slasher, which helped him have a very strong impact in a game that the Knicks needed him the most.
This is the version of Bridges that the Knicks traded five first-round picks for in the offseason. If they can get this version of him in the second round, their chances of beating the odds and upsetting the Celtics becomes much greater.
The Knicks need to do better at holding leads
Despite the resilient win, there are still quite a lot for the Knicks to clean up in the second round. They blew two double-digit leads in this game and seemingly had no answer for the Pistons’ runs, and it took Brunson becoming a hero to overcome their comeback effort.
The Knicks won’t be able to get away with playing hero ball against a team as good as the Celtics, and they need to do a stronger job at keeping their foot on the gas and staying composed when they get out to big leads. Getting those leads in the first place is a great step, but holding them is something that they will need to be better at.
Overview
The thrilling first-round series against the Pistons is finally over. The Knicks will need this weekend to regroup and prepare for a true test in the second round against Boston. Game 1 is set for Monday, with a time and broadcast network still to be determined.