Brunson’s heroics seal wild Game 6 win, send Knicks to second round showdown with Celtics

It had everything—runs, swings, tension, and a signature moment from Jalen Brunson. The Knicks punched their ticket to the second round of the playoffs after surviving a frantic Game 6 in Detroit, outlasting the Pistons 116-113 in a contest that was pure chaos from tip to buzzer.

With the score tied at 113 and just 20.7 seconds left, Brunson—already with 37 points—took control. He let the clock bleed, Ausar Thompson draped all over him, then with 5 seconds remaining, faked left, crossed over, and calmly stepped into a wide-open three. Nothing but net. 4.3 seconds left. The Pistons were stunned, the crowd silenced.

“Jalen’s shot, what can you say? He’s at his best when his best is needed. He’s done it all year. That’s what makes him special.”

– Tom Thobodeau

But it wasn’t over yet. Detroit inbounded, Cade Cunningham found Malik Beasley wide open on the wing for a potential game-tying three—only for the ball to slip right through Beasley’s hands and out of bounds. 0.4 on the clock. The Knicks inbounded cleanly, and that was it. No Game 7. No trip back to MSG. Just relief and celebration for a team that needed Brunson’s full bag to get through a relentless Detroit squad.

Brunson dropped 40 points on the night, including 8 during the final 3 minutes, as the Knicks closed the game on an 11-1 run. Down 112-105 and seemingly on the ropes, he created an and-one with a twisting, off-balance layup over Dennis Schroder, then followed that with another near-impossible finish after losing his balance and recomposing under the hoop. All that set the stage for the final blow.

Mikal Bridges was the perfect sidekick, putting up 25 points and delivering one of the game’s most underrated moments—tipping in Brunson’s missed layup with 35 seconds left to tie the game at 113. Earlier in the third, Bridges added a thunderous fast-break dunk against Cunningham after an OG Anunoby block on Tobias Harris, a play that gave the Knicks a 86-73 lead.

“I wouldn’t be in that position without this man next to me, the way he played tonight. Obviously, everyone’s gonna say a lot about the last shot but throughout the game, the ups and downs of it, we all stay composed. The way he played, it was tremendous. I give a lot of credit to my teammates. None of this happens without them.”

– Jalen Brunson on Mikal Bridges

Anunoby contributed 22 points and hit four huge threes, while Josh Hart gutted out 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, playing with five fouls for the final stretch. Karl-Anthony Towns had a quiet 10 points but grabbed 15 rebounds, battling foul trouble all night and eventually fouling out in the final minute.

The Pistons threw everything they had. After trailing by 15 early in the second quarter (42-27), they closed the half on a 22-7 run, led by a second-quarter barrage from Beasley, who nailed five threes in the frame. They even pulled ahead just before halftime, 58-57. Later, after falling behind 103-92 early in the fourth, they roared back again, exploding on a 20-2 run to take what felt like a game-seizing lead.

Cunningham led Detroit with 23 points, Jalen Duren added 21, Beasley finished with 20, and Thompson and Harris added 17 and 14 respectively. They exit the playoffs after six brutal, grind-it-out games—at least the last four decided in the final minute, if not the final possession.

For the Knicks, this was redemption. A team that went just 1-3 against Detroit in the regular season found its footing when it mattered most. But the road doesn’t get any easier. Waiting in the second round are the Boston Celtics, who swept the season series 4-0. That clash begins Monday. If Game 6 was any preview of Brunson’s postseason mode, Boston better be ready.