admin
Tim Hardaway Jr.’s message for Pistons young players entering playoffs
Tim Hardaway Jr. on the Pistons mindset, preparation and message entering Knicks playoff series, Friday, April 18, 2025 after practice in Detroit.
NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks battled to a draw for most of Saturday night. But the heavily favored Knicks delivered a convincing, stunning final punch in the fourth quarter.
The Pistons lost to the Knicks in Game 1 of the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, 123-112, at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks took command of the game with a 21-0 run, holding the Pistons scoreless from the 9:15 mark of the quarter until 4:36 remained. In that stretch, an eight-point Pistons lead turned into a 111-98 deficit.
After outscoring the Knicks 36-26 in the third, they were outscored 40-21 in the final period while allowing the home team to shoot 70.8%.
The Pistons, meanwhile, were held to 31.8% shooting after going cold late. Tobias Harris led the way with 25 points (22 in the first half) and Cade Cunningham finished with 21 points and 12 assists on 8-for-21 shooting with six turnovers. Malik Beasley added 20 points.
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 34 points.
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).
Pistons veterans step up offensively
The Knicks, predictably, focused most of their defensive might on Cunningham. Anunoby, one of the top defenders in the league, drew the primary assignment. And Cunningham was met with a second defender after every screen in the first half. He wasn’t able to find a rhythm early, entering halftime with six points and six assists on 3-for-10 shooting.
The veterans picked up the slack, capitalizing on the extra defensive attention Cunningahm drew and the Knicks’ inability to stay in front of open shooters. Harris was huge in the first half, leading all scorers with 22 points on 7-for-10 overall shooting and 4-for-5 shooting from 3.
That included eight points in the final four minutes of the half from Harris, including a 3-pointer with under a second to go that cut the deficit to two at halftime, 57-55. At halftime, Harris, Beasley and Hardaway were responsible for 41 of their 55 points.
Hardaway sparked the Pistons in the second half, with a deep 3-pointer and 3-point play in the opening minutes. It was their best offensive quarter, outscoring the Knicks 36-26 while shooting 14-for-22 overall. Beasley was steady all night, but unfortunately for the Pistons his last bucket — a 3-pointer — with under five minutes left snapped the Knicks’ game-clinching 21-0 run.
Isaiah Stewart labors, misses most of fourth quarter
The Pistons missed Stewart late. Their best defender led the charge on that end in the first half, despite clearing ailing with a lower body injury. He missed the Pistons’ last two regular season games with right knee inflammation. After a week off, he had a noticeable limp all night on Saturday.
Stewart was involved in one of the highlight sequences of the game, stuffing a layup attempt by Anunoby at the rim to set up a transition 3-pointer on the other end by Beasley, giving the Pistons a seven-point lead. However, Stewart checked out of the game for good with 9:06 remaining in the fourth. He motioned for J.B. Bickerstaff to sub him out, ending his night with just under 19 minutes played.
His status for Monday is unclear. Stewart’s defense on Towns was key in the Pistons’ final regular season win, and the Pistons were lost defensively without him as the Knicks went on their 21-0 run. Jalen Duren was quiet in his playoff debut, finishing with six points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. 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).
#Knicks #erupt #fourth #quarter #Game
