KEYPOINTS SUMMARY:
- Jalen Brunson drops 40 points and buries a clutch 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left
- Knicks beat Pistons 116–113 in Game 6 to win the first-round series
- New York advances to face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Semis
- Pistons led a wild second-quarter comeback but collapsed late
- Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart made huge late-game plays
- Knicks survive brutal scoring drought and close with a statement win
Jalen Brunson Knicks Legend Grows: Buzzer-Beater Sends New York to Next Round
What. A. Finish. Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks
Jalen Brunson didn’t just lead the Knicks to victory — he willed them there. With 4.3 seconds on the clock, the ball in his hands, and a roaring Detroit crowd begging for a Game 7, Brunson stepped up and buried a dagger 3-pointer from the top of the arc to silence the building.
Final score: Knicks 116, Pistons 113.
Series over.
Brunson: Playoff hero.
His final line? 40 points, cold-blooded clutch shots, and a performance that cemented his spot as the heartbeat of this New York team. Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks.
Now the Knicks are heading to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where the Boston Celtics await — and the whole league is officially on notice.
Brunson Comes Out Firing: Knicks Dominate Early
From the opening tip, Jalen Brunson was in full attack mode. He dropped 15 points in the first quarter alone, shooting an insane 7-for-9 from the field and tossing out four assists like it was nothing.
The Knicks shot a red-hot 60% in the first 12 minutes, exploding out of the gate with an 11-0 run that left the Pistons dazed. Miles McBride capped the quarter with a 3-pointer to put New York up 37–23 and leave Detroit in early panic mode.
Everything was clicking:
- The ball movement was sharp
- Defense was tight
- Brunson was playing like a man possessed
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the Pistons this season — they never go down quietly.
Pistons Punch Back: Detroit Erupts in the Second Quarter
Detroit fans weren’t sitting in silence for long.
The second quarter saw the Pistons flip the script. Starting with a Dennis Schröder 3-pointer, Detroit stormed back with a 38–22 run that left Knicks fans sweating through their jerseys.
Malik Beasley caught fire, draining six 3-pointers before halftime. Cade Cunningham controlled the midrange like a surgeon, and Jalen Duren dominated the paint with vicious lobs and putbacks.
With one minute to go before halftime, Cunningham hit a soft jumper to give Detroit their first lead of the night — and by the break, they were up 61–59.
The momentum had completely flipped, and suddenly, the Knicks were in trouble.
Knicks Regain Control in the Third
After a shaky second quarter, the Knicks stormed back to life in the third.
Brunson opened the quarter with another triple, kicking off a 15–6 run that flipped the lead again. OG Anunoby knocked down a 3. Josh Hart cleaned up the glass. Mikal Bridges nailed another deep ball. The Knicks were back in business.
The Pistons, meanwhile, went ice cold. They shot 6-of-18 in the quarter and missed all seven of their 3-point attempts.
Worse yet, Jalen Duren picked up his fourth foul, forcing Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff to experiment with a center-less lineup — and it backfired fast.
The Knicks finished the quarter with a 10-point lead, their confidence back and their sights set on the finish line.
Wild Fourth Quarter: Pistons Rally Again, But Brunson Owns the Night
The fourth quarter was chaos.
Detroit refused to go down without a fight, exploding for a 13–0 run led by Cunningham and Beasley. The Knicks couldn’t buy a bucket, missing six straight shots as the Pistons surged ahead 113–111 with less than a minute to play.
But this is the playoffs. This is New York. And this was Jalen Brunson’s time.
After a crucial timeout, Brunson missed a jumper — but Mikal Bridges was there for the putback, tying the game at 113.
With 10 seconds left, Detroit failed to convert, and New York called one final timeout.
Then came the shot.
Brunson dribbled to the top of the arc, stepped back, launched — nothing but net.
4.3 seconds left. Pistons had no answer. Game over.
Brunson’s Night by the Numbers
- 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting
- 5-of-9 from 3-point range
- 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and endless hustle
- First Knicks player with back-to-back 35+ point playoff games since Patrick Ewing
The guy has officially become Mr. Madison Square Garden, even on the road.
Role Players Step Up Big in the Clutch
It wasn’t all Brunson, though. Several Knicks stepped up in huge moments:
- Mikal Bridges: Key offensive rebounds and a late putback
- Josh Hart: High-energy defense and a monster dunk
- OG Anunoby: Steady shooting and lockdown work on Beasley in the fourth
Even Karl-Anthony Towns, often inconsistent, delivered a timely jumper early in the second and kept Duren busy all night.
Coach Tom Thibodeau kept his rotations tight and trusted his stars down the stretch — and it paid off.
Next Stop: Celtics Showdown
The Knicks now move on to face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. It’s a rivalry as old as time, and it’s about to get white-hot.
Can Brunson outduel Jayson Tatum? Will the Knicks’ gritty defense slow down Boston’s perimeter shooting? Can New York’s physicality win the day?
The answers are coming soon — and all eyes are on the Garden.
Knicks Survive, Advance, and Send a Message
The Knicks didn’t just win this series. They made a statement.
Led by Jalen Brunson’s 40-point masterclass, New York showed grit, firepower, and that all-important playoff toughness. They battled back from Detroit’s best punches, handled the pressure, and delivered in the clutch.
Now, the stakes only get higher. The lights get brighter. And the drama — well, it’s only just beginning.
The Jalen Brunson Knicks era is here, and it’s electric.
