NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons sat out six years, waiting for this NBA playoff moment. And for much of Game 1 of their first-round series against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, they were the better team.
The only problem: The Knicks erupted in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks rallied for a 123-112 win by using a 21-0 avalanche that spanned nearly five minutes, holding the Pistons scoreless and turning an eight-point deficit into an 11-point lead.
The Pistons completely fell apart and committed a half-dozen turnovers in the quarter, won by the Knicks, 40-21.
Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 25 points, 22 coming in the first half. Cade Cunningham had 21 points, 12 assists but six turnovers. He shot just 8-for-21 in his playoff debut.
The Pistons are owners of an NBA-record 15 consecutive losses in the playoffs, the longest active streak in the four major professional U.S. sports.
Game 2 is Monday night in New York (7:30 p.m., TNT).
This story will be updated.
Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons score: Knicks erupt in fourth quarter to take Game 1 123-112
NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons sat out six years, waiting for this NBA playoff moment. And for much of Game 1 of their first-round series against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, they were the better team.
The only problem: The Knicks erupted in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks rallied for a 123-112 win by using a 21-0 avalanche that spanned nearly five minutes, holding the Pistons scoreless and turning an eight-point deficit into an 11-point lead.
The Pistons completely fell apart and committed a half-dozen turnovers in the quarter, won by the Knicks, 40-21.
Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 25 points, 22 coming in the first half. Cade Cunningham had 21 points, 12 assists but six turnovers. He shot just 8-for-21 in his playoff debut.
The Pistons are owners of an NBA-record 15 consecutive losses in the playoffs, the longest active streak in the four major professional U.S. sports.
Game 2 is Monday night in New York (7:30 p.m., TNT).
This story will be updated.
Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons score: Knicks erupt in fourth quarter to take Game 1 123-112
