With a 100-94 victory over the New York Knicks, the Detroit Pistons achieved one thing they have not carried out in 16 years: received a playoff sport. The Pistons had been winless in an NBA-record 15 playoff video games.
Monday’s first-round match gave the Pistons their first postseason victory for the reason that 2008 Eastern Conference Finals, when Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton have been nonetheless main them, and Detroit’s homegrown star, Cade Cunningham, was solely seven years previous.
This victory had been a long time within the making. Detroit managed Sport 2 from the opening tip and constructed up a 15-point lead earlier than New York stormed again. A scoring onslaught by Jalen Brunson, who completed with 37 factors, introduced the Knicks again into the sport and left it tied with solely a minute remaining.
With the rating tied at 94, Detroit turned to an unlikely hero, Dennis Schröder. The veteran level guard pulled up for a 3-pointer and gave the Pistons a lead they would not relinquish.