From the first quarter, it seemed like it could be a special night for Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
After 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first 12 minutes and his team up 37-23, Brunson and the Knicks were on their way to a series clincher against the Detroit Pistons.
But that would’ve been too easy.
No, in a series that was separated by eight total points, the Pistons fought back and made New York work for it.
“They brought the fight to us and we had to respond,” Brunson said after the game.
That fight first appeared in the second quarter, where Detroit ended up taking the lead, completely erasing the 14-point advantage that Brunson and the Knicks had built. Coincidentally, Brunson scored just five points in the quarter.
The All-Star woke back up in the third quarter, scoring 10 points as New York went out to another big lead thanks to help from Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. Surely, that would be enough to put away the young Pistons for good.
Wrong.
Once again, here came Detroit storming back while the Knicks couldn’t get anything going. Even Brunson was struggling from the floor and it looked like the series might be headed back to New York for a decisive Game 7.
But when the lights are the brightest, that’s when Brunson is at his best.
Down 112-105 with 2:35 left in the game, Brunson scored five straight points in less than a minute to get to within two points. A minute later, Bridges tips one in to tie the game.
“We all have each other’s backs and we all know what we want to do and I’m just thankful for my teammates and coaches,” Brunson said.
After Cade Cunningham, the Pistons’ answer to Brunson in this series, missed a layup with 20.1 seconds remaining, head coach Tom Thibodeau called a timeout to draw up a play.
Obviously, the play was for Brunson, but with Ausar Thompson defending him, it was going to be tough to get a good look. Unfazed, Brunson made a move to shake Thompson that left him wide open at the top of the key.
With a good look and the ball in his hands, Brunson took the shot and drilled it.
“Just found a way to create some separation,” he said. “Shot it a little earlier than I wanted to, but I mean, Ausar is a great defender and the fact that I got that much space, I had to shoot it right there. Happy the ball went in.”
The three-pointer gave Brunson 40 points on the night, the most he scored in this series. It was also the second time he had 40 or more points in a road closeout game during the playoffs after scoring 41 points to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round last year.
“It’s all about us staying poised and having that composure,” Brunson said. “Obviously, we want to have it throughout the game, but it’s most important at the end.”
He continued: “I stay poised and I rely on the trust and composure that my teammates give me. I wouldn’t be in that position without this man next to me [Bridges], the way he played tonight.
“Obviously, everyone’s gonna say a lot about the last shot, but throughout the game, the ups and downs of it, we all stayed composed and the way he played it was tremendous. So, gotta give a lot of credit to my teammates. None of this happens without them.”
Bridges had 25 on the night in 44 minutes, including the game-tying tip-in.
“Once he got separation, I knew it was curtains,” Bridges said. “When he shot it and made it, I felt like I made i.t I was so geeked up. You would’ve thought I hit the game-winner.”
From the first quarter, it seemed like it could be a special night for Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
After 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first 12 minutes and his team up 37-23, Brunson and the Knicks were on their way to a series clincher against the Detroit Pistons.
But that would’ve been too easy.
No, in a series that was separated by eight total points, the Pistons fought back and made New York work for it.
“They brought the fight to us and we had to respond,” Brunson said after the game.
That fight first appeared in the second quarter, where Detroit ended up taking the lead, completely erasing the 14-point advantage that Brunson and the Knicks had built. Coincidentally, Brunson scored just five points in the quarter.
The All-Star woke back up in the third quarter, scoring 10 points as New York went out to another big lead thanks to help from Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. Surely, that would be enough to put away the young Pistons for good.
Wrong.
Once again, here came Detroit storming back while the Knicks couldn’t get anything going. Even Brunson was struggling from the floor and it looked like the series might be headed back to New York for a decisive Game 7.
But when the lights are the brightest, that’s when Brunson is at his best.
Down 112-105 with 2:35 left in the game, Brunson scored five straight points in less than a minute to get to within two points. A minute later, Bridges tips one in to tie the game.
“We all have each other’s backs and we all know what we want to do and I’m just thankful for my teammates and coaches,” Brunson said.
After Cade Cunningham, the Pistons’ answer to Brunson in this series, missed a layup with 20.1 seconds remaining, head coach Tom Thibodeau called a timeout to draw up a play.
Obviously, the play was for Brunson, but with Ausar Thompson defending him, it was going to be tough to get a good look. Unfazed, Brunson made a move to shake Thompson that left him wide open at the top of the key.
With a good look and the ball in his hands, Brunson took the shot and drilled it.
“Just found a way to create some separation,” he said. “Shot it a little earlier than I wanted to, but I mean, Ausar is a great defender and the fact that I got that much space, I had to shoot it right there. Happy the ball went in.”
The three-pointer gave Brunson 40 points on the night, the most he scored in this series. It was also the second time he had 40 or more points in a road closeout game during the playoffs after scoring 41 points to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round last year.
“It’s all about us staying poised and having that composure,” Brunson said. “Obviously, we want to have it throughout the game, but it’s most important at the end.”
He continued: “I stay poised and I rely on the trust and composure that my teammates give me. I wouldn’t be in that position without this man next to me [Bridges], the way he played tonight.
“Obviously, everyone’s gonna say a lot about the last shot, but throughout the game, the ups and downs of it, we all stayed composed and the way he played it was tremendous. So, gotta give a lot of credit to my teammates. None of this happens without them.”
Bridges had 25 on the night in 44 minutes, including the game-tying tip-in.
“Once he got separation, I knew it was curtains,” Bridges said. “When he shot it and made it, I felt like I made i.t I was so geeked up. You would’ve thought I hit the game-winner.”
