Knicks get the job done in series opener against Pistons as experience, grit kick in
Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) double team Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) in the third quarter of Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs on Saturday, April 19, 2025. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Star-struck? Blinded by the bright lights of Madison Square Garden? Cowed by the significance of the moment?
That was the scouting report on the Detroit Pistons heading into Saturday night’s Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Knicks. The heavily favored Knicks had the veteran superstars, the playoff experience and the rabid home crowd. In essence, they had all the ingredients to open the series with a statement-making win.
The Knicks did exactly that in the most devastating way possible, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Pistons, 123-112, to begin the best-of-seven series.
For Knicks fans who were worried about their team’s uninspired play and perceived lack of chemistry down the home stretch of the regular season, there was a lot to celebrate in this win.
Leading that list was the play of Jalen Brunson. For three quarters, it looked as if Brunson was still getting his sea legs after missing more than a month of play with a sprained ankle in March. But then, as he has so many times before, Brunson came up big when the Knicks needed him most.
After leaving the Knicks’ bench briefly at the end of the third quarter, Brunson returned wearing a different pair of sneakers. After Cam Payne scored the first basket of the Knicks’ monster run with 9:06 remaining, Brunson re-entered the game and went on to score 12 of his 34 points.
The performance was classic playoff Brunson, prompting coach Tom Thibodeau to give this explanation when asked what Brunson had done when he left the court at the end of the third quarter.
“I think he grabbed his cape,” Thibodeau said with a grin.
Also on the celebration list: The Knicks’ defense came up big in the final period to erase an eight-point deficit.
OG Anunoby had played hard-nosed defense all game on Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham. The rest of the team got in on the act in the fourth period, forcing eight turnovers in one of the Knicks’ best defensive performances of the season.
It was exactly what the Knicks needed to score a rare comeback win. They were 6-24 in the regular season when trailing at the start of the fourth period.
“Our execution failed us,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “When you have eight turnovers in a quarter, that’s going to be really hard to overcome . . . You can’t have empty possessions in the fourth quarter. You’ve got to do the job.”
The final cause for celebration: It wasn’t only Brunson stepping up and making big plays. Payne knocked down two big three-pointers in the final quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns, not known for his defense, had four steals and two blocks in the game.
‘It’s important, especially at home,” Brunson said of the win. “They pushed us and we found a way in the fourth quarter to get stops and find a way to win. When you get a win, it does a lot for your confidence. Tomorrow you reset and refocus and get ready for Game 2.”
This was the Pistons’ first trip to the playoffs since 2019. A number of Detroit players, including Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren and Ronald Holland II, were making their postseason debut.
Despite that inexperience, the Pistons entered Game 1 with some significant swagger. How could they not after what they accomplished this season, going from 14 wins in 2023-24 to 44 as Cunningham made the jump from a promising young player to a big-time superstar.
Bickerstaff said before the game that he wasn’t worried about his team being cowed by the Garden crowd or the significance of the moment. Afterward, he maintained the same attitude.
“We were the better team for three quarters, I thought,” he said. “These are learning lessons for us, and we have to be honest with ourselves when it comes to that. We talked pregame about what experience is, and this is experience. Now you come back the next game, how quickly do you learn from it?”
They’ll find out in Game 2 on Monday night.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
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