Brunson sets up Knicks in Detroit with game-winning three-pointer

Jalen Brunson sank a clutch three-pointer with four seconds remaining to lift the New York Knicks to a dramatic 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, sealing a 4-2 series victory and a spot in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals.

Brunson, who finished with 40 points, prevented a late rally by the Pistons' Cade Cunningham (23 points) from forcing a seventh and defining game in this fast-paced series.

In their first playoff appearance since 2019, the young Pistons fought elimination to the very end and, backed by the deafening support of the crowd at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, overcame several major deficits against the Knicks.

The visitors dominated 103-92 with less than nine minutes remaining and appeared to have the ticket in hand.

After a frantic comeback, the home side went ahead 113-111 with 49 seconds on the clock, but forward Mikal Bridges tied it by palming away a missed shot by Brunson.

Cunningham, as in Game 4 of the series, missed the key shot for the Pistons and gave Brunson a chance to finish off Detroit with a spectacular play in which he feinted past his marker, Ausar Thompson, and nailed the decisive triple with 4.3 seconds left.

On an ill-fated final possession, Cunningham looked for Malik Beasley, his best squire with 20 points and six three-pointers, but the pass slipped through the point guard's hands.

"What can you say about Jalen's shot. He's at his best when he's needed, he's done it all year. That's why he's so special," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said while crediting him.

"The playoffs are toughness and discipline. There will be a lot of emotional ups and downs and we have to overcome them all and focus on our task. We have a lot of work ahead of us," he stressed.

Next stop, the Celtics

The Knicks now face a much bigger challenge in the conference semifinals against the defending champions Boston Celtics, who more comfortably disposed of the Orlando Magic 4-1.

The matchup against the Celtics will be a touchstone for the entire Knicks project, which in the last two seasons fell in the second round to the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat.

In the last year, New York invested virtually all its resources in the signings of Bridges (25 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (10 units and 15 rebounds) with the ambition of advancing at least to the East Finals, which they have not set foot in since 2000.

The team's expectations, however, have cooled throughout this hard-fought series against the Pistons that was decided in small details, including a refereeing error in Game 4 that tipped the win for the Knicks.

Cunningham, in his season of consecration as a star, has also shined in his playoff debut with an average of 25 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists.

In the hottest moments, however, Cunningham was not as decisive as Brunson, a differential factor in the series with an overall average of 31.5 points and 8.2 assists.

At 28 years old, the point guard already has an assured place in the pantheon of recent heroes for the Knicks, where he landed in 2022 from the Dallas Mavericks, who selected him 33rd overall in the 2018 Draft.

Thursday's playoff menu also included the sixth round of the West playoffs between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets, who are 3-2 and have their first chance to qualify.