Pistons snap NBA-record, 15-game
postseason losing streak, beating Knicks 100-94 in Game 2
[April 22, 2025]
By BRIAN MAHONEY
NEW YORK (AP) — Cade Cunningham wasn't thinking about himself after
the first postseason victory of his career. His focus was on all the
Detroit fans who stuck by the Pistons during 17 years since the last
one.
Now Cunningham and his teammates want to give those fans more than
just a game. They want to get them a series.
Cunningham had 33 points and 12 rebounds, Dennis Schroder made the
tiebreaking 3-pointer with 55 seconds left, and the Pistons snapped
their NBA-record, 15-game postseason losing streak by beating the
New York Knicks 100-94 on Monday night in Game 2 of their playoff
series.
“It’s a great feeling. It feels good to represent the city like we
did tonight,” Cunningham said. “It’s something that the city been
waiting on for a long time, so we feel good about it and we’re ready
to get back to the crib and perform in front of them.”
The Pistons, who hadn’t even been to the postseason since 2019,
recovered after the Knicks erased a 15-point deficit to earn their
first playoff victory since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference
finals against Boston. The Celtics won the final two games of that
series and the Pistons were then swept in 2009, 2016 and 2019 before
dropping Game 1 at Madison Square Garden.
Now they are back in the win column, all tied in the series and will
host Game 3 on Thursday night.
Schroder, who wasn’t even on the Pistons until a trade in February,
nailed the 3-pointer after the Knicks had used a 16-4 run to tie it
at 94 on Josh Hart’s dunk. He finished with 20 points off the bench.
The Pistons engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history
this season, going 44-38 after a 14-win season in 2023-24 that
included a 28-game losing streak, longest ever in a single season.
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Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives toward the basket
against New York Knicks' Mikal Bridges during the first half of Game
2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Monday, April 21,
2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
They were then in good shape to win Game 1 with an
eight-point lead after three quarters, before the Knicks used a 21-0
run in the fourth to win 123-112. Detroit built another eight-point
advantage after three Monday, and this time made the big plays after
another Knicks rally.
“We got bigger things we’re out here for,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff
said. “So our focus, and that’s why our guys have been able to grow
and be consistent, because they just think about the now and I
thought they did a great job tonight of staying in the moment and
doing what we needed to do.”
Jalen Brunson scored 37 points for the No. 3-seeded Knicks, but
Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby were each limited to 10 after both
finished with 23 points in the opener.
“And now it’s on us to respond,” Brunson said.
Cunningham bounced back with a strong performance after the All-Star
guard was just 8 for 21 in Game 1. The Knicks struggled to keep him
out of the paint and defend him without fouling, as the Pistons shot
14 free throws to the Knicks’ two while building a 55-49 lead at
halftime.
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