With a 100-94 victory over the New York Knicks, the Detroit Pistons accomplished something they haven’t done in 16 years: won a playoff game. The Pistons had been winless in an NBA-record 15 playoff games.
Monday’s first-round match gave the Pistons their first postseason victory since the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals, when Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton were still leading them, and Detroit’s homegrown star, Cade Cunningham, was only seven years old.
This victory had been decades in the making. Detroit controlled Game 2 from the opening tip and built up a 15-point lead before New York stormed back. A scoring onslaught by Jalen Brunson, who finished with 37 points, brought the Knicks back into the game and left it tied with only a minute remaining.
With the score tied at 94, Detroit turned to an unlikely hero, Dennis Schröder. The veteran point guard pulled up for a 3-pointer and gave the Pistons a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
