New York – A Dennis Schröder basket stimulated a famine.
The layup increased the advance of the Strait pistons to eight points with 9:16 to go in the last period. Four and a half minutes later, with match 1 of their series of qualifying series in the first round against the New York Knicks on the line, they dragged by 13.
The Knicks are now leading the series, closing a 123-112 victory on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, which would never have taken place without the 21-0 race which followed the dismissal of Schröder.
A quick and 1 on the finger of the backup leader Cameron Payne followed; Knicks down 98-93. Then a float of double star Jalen Brunson; Knicks down 98-95. Then pay again, this time bombing in a 3 pointer; tie match. Then Brunson inside the 3 -point arc; Knicks Up Deux.
New York point couple alternated scores. The pistons could not do the same.
on an 8-0 race and bringing the Payn3 😤 pic.twitter.com/jqmgduyrh
– New York Knicks (@nyknicks) April 20, 2025
Payne struck another 3 point pointer to follow the Brunson bucket; Knicks Up 103-98. Two other Bruns Layups followed; 107-98.
Brunson and Payne combined to score 17 points – nine for Payne and eight for Brunson – in just 3 minutes, 57 seconds.
“I have some experience, I have already been there,” said Payne. “I know how the fourth quarter is done. You always have to play your game, you always have to play Knicks basketball at the end of the day. You can’t bottle in the game. We just have to be ourselves. ”
Brunson added: “There was never any doubt that we were not going to just go to bed and not fight. We were going to find ways to fight. … It was a quick and just satisfied turnaround in the way we played in the fourth.”
Josh Hart also struck, flowing for a few lay-ups that put the Knicks 111-98 with 4:49 to go to the game. As the Malik Beasley piston elite shooters nailed a 3 to the key with 4:35 to go, it was too late.
“Defensively is the place where we made this race,” said Hart. “We made stops. Went out, we had easy buckets. Cam entered and was electric for us. It was huge. We must make sure that we will build it. ”
Indeed, the race was not just offensive.
The Knicks tightened the facilitators of the pistons during this period. Detroit’s head of the attack, Cade Cunningham, returned the ball twice during race 21-0, when the pistons pulled 0 out of 10 on the field and missed their four attempts of 3 points.
“I thought our defense made us advance,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “We made stops. We went up to the open floor. And we have had easy score opportunities. ”
This led to fast lay-ups, a lot of offense for New York and a 1-0 series advance.
(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
