Cade Cunningham and the Pistons have tied up their series with the Knicks. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)
The Detroit Pistons kept it together down the stretch at Madison Square Garden this time.
And, finally, the franchise’s brutal postseason losing streak is over.
The Pistons, after fumbling late in Game 1 of the opening-round playoff series on Saturday, held on to grab a tight 100-94 win over the New York Knicks on Monday night. That evened their series 1-1 before it heads back to Detroit on Thursday.
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While it wasn’t a great shooting night for the Knicks all around — they shot a brutal 6-27 from the 3-point line — it was Cade Cunningham that made the difference. Cunningham, who dropped 20 points in the first half alone, finished with 33 points.
Remarkably, it was the Pistons’ first playoff game win since 2008. Their 15 straight losses was the longest active losing streak in the league.
No Isaiah Stewart for Detroit
The Pistons were without big man Isaiah Stewart on Monday night due to right knee inflammation.
The team ruled him out with the injury, which also kept him out of their final two regular season games, just a few hours before tip. Stewart played through his injury in their Game 1 loss on Saturday, though he appeared to be struggling. He had two points and five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. He asked to be pulled from the game in the fourth quarter, when the Pistons still held the lead, but then they gave up a 21-0 run and ended up losing.
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“I think we all felt it,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Stewart on Sunday, via the Detroit Free Press. “He was phenomenal last night. His effort, how he protected the rim, the energy that he brought, how his teammates fed off of his injury was huge.
“When he’s not on the floor for us, we all have to bring that. We have to find a way because we can’t just lean on him all the time or expect it to just be him. We have to play with that same ferociousness and that effort that he does.”
It’s unclear how long Stewart will be sidelined, or if he’ll be available for Game 3 on Thursday in Detroit.
Pistons up early, again
Detroit, at least in the first half, appeared to have completely put its fourth-quarter stumble on Saturday behind it.
The Pistons took a six-point lead into the locker room behind a huge first half from Cade Cunningham on Monday night. Cunningham dropped 20 points in the first two quarters, including a huge layup in the final seconds before halftime, to keep the Pistons in control. They broke open a double digit lead early in the second quarter, too, but the Knicks held on and made a mini run to get back in it.
Cade Cunningham, Pistons hang on
The Pistons immediately pushed their lead in the third quarter, too. They opened the second half on an 13-4 run, more than half of which came from Cunningham, and shut down the Knicks offensively. New York missed 10 of its first 11 field goal attempts in the third quarter, and the Knicks were suddenly down by 15 points. Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t score at all in the third quarter, either.
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While that didn’t last, the Knicks finally started making their shots, the Pistons still took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Knicks were held to just 18 points in the period.
The fourth quarter was incredibly close and contentious down the stretch. Jalen Brunson helped cut the deficit to just four after the midway point of the quarter, though he sprinted off the court and went back to the locker room. He checked back in not even a minute later. The two teams got into a brief altercation after he left, too, though nothing ended up coming from it.
Brunson capped a 12-2 run with a bucket from the elbow with about 2:30 left, too, to get them within just two points. But finally, the Pistons responded. Cunningham hit Jalen Duren for an ally-oop right after Brunson’s shot to push them back out in front. But again, Brunson came through. He hit two of three free throws after drawing a foul on a 3-point attempt and then hit Josh Hart inside for a dunk — which finally tied the game back up for them. In total, it was a 16-4 tear for the Knicks.
But, as quick as that lead came, the Pistons hit a rare 3-pointer. Dennis Schröder connected from 25 feet, and then both Brunson and Mikal Bridges missed 3-point attempts in the final minute that could’ve tied the game again. The Pistons held on to grab the narrow six-point win and even the series.
Cunningham had 12 rebounds and three assists to go with his 33 points in the win for the Pistons. Schröder added 20 points off the bench, and accounted for half of the team’s made 3-pointers. Tobias Harris finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, too. The Pistons, despite not having Stewart available, still out-rebounded the Knicks 48-34.
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Brunson led the Knicks with 37 points and seven assists in the loss. He went just 4-of-11 from deep. Bridges added 19 points and five rebounds, and Towns finished with 10 points and six rebounds. He didn’t score at all in the second half, and shot just 5-11 from the field.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
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