The New York Knicks failed to close out their first-round series Tuesday night, falling 106-103 to the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.
Josh Hart, who returned in the final seconds after briefly exiting with an apparent injury, spoke postgame about the team’s late-game execution and his own physical condition.
“My whole body is bothering me,” Hart said when asked about which wrist was affected, downplaying any specific injury.
Detroit seized control late in the fourth quarter behind Cade Cunningham’s 24-point, eight-rebound, eight-assist performance, forcing a Game 6 back in Michigan.
The Knicks had a chance to tie the game in the final minutes but couldn’t convert, as Hart and Jalen Brunson were both sidelined during a crucial stretch before reentering with 27 seconds left.
“You always want to be out there,” Hart said when asked about watching from the scorer’s table while the clock wound down. “We had a couple good shots to cut that lead… they just didn’t go in.”
Hart briefly left the court earlier in the second half, later explaining he “just needed to regroup, walk it off.”
Brunson, who had averaged over 33 points through the first four games, was limited to 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting as Detroit clamped down defensively.
“We got to come out of halftime more aggressive,” Hart said, noting New York’s recurring third-quarter drop-off. “I think this is the third game in a row we went into halftime with a lead and then go into the fourth quarter down.”
Ausar Thompson and Tobias Harris combined for 39 points, while Jalen Duren anchored the paint with 14 rebounds and six assists.
OG Anunoby paced the Knicks with 19 points, but the team’s 13 turnovers and missed free throws—shooting just 59.3% from the line—proved costly.
Hart addressed the lack of intentional fouling late in the game, saying, “You’re not trying to foul… we got stops, we got good looks… it wasn’t our day today.”
Despite the loss, Hart said the Knicks aren’t thinking about a potential Game 7. “We just got to make sure we focus on fixing the mistakes that we had today and going to Detroit ready to go.”
New York still leads the series 3-2 but now faces a motivated Pistons team that hasn’t won a home playoff game since 2008.
Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.
