The New York Knicks missed an opportunity to advance on Tuesday night, falling 106-103 to the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.
Jalen Brunson, who had carried New York offensively throughout the series, finished with just 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting in his lowest-scoring game of the postseason.
Speaking to reporters after the loss, the Knicks guard offered a brief but pointed message: “We got to respond now. That’s all.”
Brunson and Josh Hart exited with minor injuries under the three-minute mark, unable to re-enter until 27 seconds remained as Detroit pulled away with an 11-8 run to end the game.
Asked about the difficult timing of the substitution delay, Brunson said, “It’s tough, but I have the utmost faith… trust, faith, belief — all that. I’ll always have that with my teammates.”
The Pistons seized control late behind Cade Cunningham’s all-around effort — 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists — and clutch plays from Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren.
Thompson added 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting while Duren notched 14 rebounds and six assists, helping Detroit survive elimination and cut the Knicks’ series lead to 3-2.
[td_flex_block_1 category_id="" custom_title="MORE FOR YOU" header_color="#e91e63" td_filter_default_txt="" tag_slug="" sort="random_7_day" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXJpZ2h0IjoiMjUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJtYXJnaW4tbGVmdCI6IjI1IiwicGFkZGluZy10b3AiOiIxMSIsInBhZGRpbmctcmlnaHQiOiIyNSIsInBhZGRpbmctYm90dG9tIjoiMTEiLCJwYWRkaW5nLWxlZnQiOiIyNSIsImJhY2tncm91bmQtY29sb3IiOiIjZjNmNGY2IiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiIsIi0tdGRiLXNjcm9sbC1hbmltIjoibm9uZSJ9LCJwaG9uZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tcmlnaHQiOiIwIiwibWFyZ2luLWxlZnQiOiIwIiwicGFkZGluZy1yaWdodCI6IjE1IiwicGFkZGluZy1sZWZ0IjoiMTUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBob25lX21heF93aWR0aCI6NzY3fQ==" mx3f_title_font_transform="" mx3f_title_font_weight="700" title_tag="h3" all_modules_space="0" video_popup="" image_size="td_218x150" image_height="65" image_floated="eyJwaG9uZSI6ImZsb2F0X2xlZnQifQ==" autoplay_vid="" show_vid_t="none" modules_category="image" modules_category_margin="eyJhbGwiOiI1cHgiLCJwaG9uZSI6IjVweCJ9" modules_extra_cat="hide" show_author="none" show_date="none" show_com="none" show_review="none" show_excerpt="none" show_audio="none" show_btn="none" f_title_font_size="15" f_title_font_line_height="1.25" f_title_font_weight="600" f_title_font_spacing="-0.2" cat_bg="#e16e00" modules_divider="solid" category_ids="-4430,-5489,-11" show_cat="" modules_on_row="eyJhbGwiOiIzMy4zMzMzMzMzMyUiLCJwaG9uZSI6IjEwMCUifQ==" limit="3" meta_info_align="" modules_divider_color="#333333" image_width="eyJhbGwiOiIxMDAiLCJwaG9uZSI6IjQwIn0=" meta_info_border_color="" modules_border_color="" modules_gap="15" m_padding="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjE1cHggMHB4IDE1cHggMHB4In0=" art_title="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjBweCAwcHggMHB4IDE1cHgifQ==" video_icon="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjIwIn0=" f_cat_font_size="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjgifQ=="]Brunson did not attribute the loss to his time on the bench or his injured ankle, insisting, “I’m all good.”
Instead, he pointed to New York’s inconsistent third quarters and sluggish starts after halftime as ongoing issues, saying, “We need to figure out how to come out ready in the second half. That first couple minutes — it’s really important.”
OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 19 points, but the team struggled at the free throw line, shooting just 16-of-27 (59.3%) compared to Detroit’s 72.2% mark.
Mitchell Robinson recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards off the bench, but the Knicks turned the ball over 13 times and failed to contain Detroit’s inside presence.
New York now travels to Little Caesars Arena for Game 6, with Detroit aiming to end a nine-game home playoff losing streak that dates back to 2008.
When asked how the Knicks would approach the road challenge, Brunson remained direct: “We had to go there with the mindset to win. As simple as that.”
Despite the frustration of letting a closeout game slip away, Brunson emphasized the need to refocus: “Win or loss — it’s short-term memory in the playoffs. You got to come back the next day and figure out what we got to do to win the next one.”
Game 6 is set for Thursday night, with the Pistons looking to force a Game 7 back in New York.
