Knicks Run Out of Time in Game Five; Game 6 Thursday
Injuries, lack of time outs cost Knicks down the stretch of a Game 5 loss to the Pistons at the Garden.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 29: Ausar Thompson #9 and Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons celebrate after a play during the second half in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 29, 2025 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Onto Game Six. At the end of the day that is all the Knicks and their fans can say after a disappointing 106-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 that will send the series back to Detroit on Thursday night.
What made Tuesday's blown opportunity by the Knicks so frustrating is the fact that the game was right there for them the take. The turning point came with just under three minutes to play when both Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart had to sit with injuries.
With only one timeout in his pocket, Knicks coach Thom Thibodeau chose not to use it when both Brunson and Hart were ready to check back into action. Without a stoppage in time, the Knicks watched as Detroit went on a 6-2 run to grab a 103-97 advantage.
By the time Brunson and Hart finally came back in, there were only 27 seconds to play.
Ironically the Knicks almost made up for it. Brunson took the first inbounds pass he saw, dished it out to Mikal Bridges who nailed a three in the corner to cut the Pistons lead to three.
After Dennis Shrouder nailed one of two free throws to give Detroit a 104-100 lead, OG Anunoby drained a three of his own to cut the deficit back to a single point. Unfortunately for New York, this is where things got messed up.
New York had a chance to steal the inbounds pass, but Brunson's attempt to bounce the ball off a Pistons player didn't work. Eventually, Detroit went to the free-throw line as Cade Cunningham iced it.
The series returns to Detroit where the Pistons haven't won a home playoff game since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals. That's right 2008!?!?!?!
