Jalen Brunson Heroics in Detroit Send Knicks to Second Round; Clippers Force Game 7 vs. Nuggets

The New York Knicks advanced to the second round on Thursday night thanks to 40 points and the game-winning shot from star Jalen Brunson in their 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets 111-105 to force a Game 7 in their best-of-7 series. 

Brunson, in 42 minutes, shot 15-for-33 from the field (3-for-10 from 3-point range) and made 7-of-8 free-throws to finish with 40 points and 7 assists. With the score tied at 113, Brunson crossed over the Pistons’ Ausar Thompson and drilled a triple with 5.1 seconds remaining to give the Knicks the win. Mikal Bridges in 44 minutes scored 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting. OG Anunoby shot 6-for-14 for 22 points. 

Leading the Pistons was Cade Cunningham, who scored 23 points with 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals on 9-for-22 shooting, but missed all eight of his 3-point attempts. Jalen Duren scored 21 points with 6 rebounds on 6-for-9, and Malik Beasley scored 20 points on 6-for-13 shooting, all from downtown. On the Pistons’ final play, Cunningham found Malik Beasley, whose hands the ball slipped through. 

The Pistons were outrebounded 43-36, but shooting percentages were near even, 46.9% for the Pistons and 47.7 for the Knicks. 

It was a difficult loss for the Pistons, who made the playoffs this season for the first time since 2019 and elevated from 14 wins in 2023-24 to 44 in 2024-25. They have a budding superstar to build around with Cade Cunningham. 

The Knicks, meanwhile, will look to reverse their losing against the Boston Celtics in the second round. The Knicks were 0-4 against the Celtics this season. 

Kawhi Leonard and James Harden combined for 55 points in the Clippers’ 111-105 win from Intuit Dome on Thursday night. 

Leonard (11-for-22 shooting) put up 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Harden was 10-for-20 for 28 points and 8 assists. Norman Powell was 9-for-15 for 24 points. 

Nikola Jokic, like Leonard, shot 11-for-22, with the MVP candidate registering 25 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds with 3 steals. Jamal Murray shot 9-for-19 for 21 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon was 9-or-16 for 19 points. Christian Braun was 5-for-7 for 14 points, and Russell Westbrook in 35 minutes off the bench was 5-for-10 for 14 points, with 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. 

The Nuggets shot 52.4% to the Clippers 50%, and made 11-of-27 triples to the Clippers’ 12-of-39. The Nuggets got to the line only nine times, making six free-throws. 

Nic Batum was an integral piece to the Clipper evening, contributing 6 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in 34 minutes. Derrick Jones Jr. led the Clipper bench unit with 8 points. 

Game 7 is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on TNT.