Detroit, MI

Detroit Pistons save season, shock MSG crowd with Game 5 win vs New York Knicks, 106-103

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12 months ago

April 29, 2025

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Detroit Pistons save season, shock MSG crowd with Game 5 win vs New York Knicks, 106-103

NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons entered an elimination Game 5 on the road with a simple mindset — it’s just one game.

They went out and executed, defeating the New York Knicks 106-103 to force a Game 6 in Detroit on Thursday. Cunningham scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining in the game to give the Pistons a three-point cushion to hold onto the win.

Ausar Thompson had his best playoff game thus far with 22 points (on 8-for-10 shooting), seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Cade Cunningham starts slow, finishes strong

The franchise player had arguably his worst first half of the series, entering halftime with four points, three rebounds, two assists and three turnovers on 2-for-8 overall shooting. It was an uncharacteristic two quarters for Cunningham, who’s been the Pistons’ best player by far but, at times, has had issues with the Knicks’ physicality and long-armed defenders.

The third quarter was better — he only made one of three shot attempts but went 5-for-6 at the free throw line, with four assists, two steals, a block and just one turnover. An alley-oop to Thompson a minute into the period gave the Pistons the lead, 51-50, and ran the show as the Pistons used an 18-6 run to take their biggest lead of the night, 69-59, at the 4:58 mark.

In the final period, Cunningham scored seven-straight points — a coast-to-coast layup, pair of free throws and a 3-pointer — to give the Pistons the lead again, 95-90, with 4:17 left in the game after the Knicks battled back at the end of the third. The Knicks tied it at 95 with a layup from Mikal Bridges and 3-pointer from Karl-Anthony Towns. Cunningham had the answers down the stretch, though.

A Cunningham-to-Duren alley-oop gave the Pistons the lead again, 97-95, and hit a floater a possession after a second-chance layup from Duren to build a six-point lead with under two minutes left, 101-95. With 27.4 seconds left, he answered a Knicks bucket by finding Thompson open under the rim to push it to six again, 103-97, before making the winning free throws.

Ausar Thompson delivers series-best performance

Before the game, J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged the challenge of playing Thompson in the fourth quarter. He’s the Pistons’ only viable defensive option against Brunson, who has torched the Pistons late in games. However, his lack of shooting and proclivity for turning the ball over during the playoffs led to the coaching staff prioritizing shooting and ball-handling in crunch time.

In the Pistons’ last three games, Thompson played fewer than three minutes in the final period with Bickerstaff leaning toward Schroder, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. instead. In Game 5, Thompson was so good that they had no choice but to play him with the game on the line.

Thompson delivered his best performance of the playoffs, showing his usual strong defense on Brunson while consistently finding opportunities on offense. He struggled at the free throw line (6-for-12), but otherwise was one of the Pistons’ most reliable scorers.

The Pistons opened the game with a 9-2 run, forcing an early timeout after Thompson mirrored Brunson and forced him to miss to end to set up a fastbreak 3-pointer on the other end for Harris. In the second quarter, he consistently made himself available for outlet passes in transition and in the dunker’s spot in halfcourt situations. He was the recipient of several entry passes from Duren, leading to open dunks.

With 41 seconds to play in the first half, he tracked Brunson in transition and swatted his layup attempt from behind. At halftime, Thompson was tied with Harris in leading the Pistons with 10 points.

With 7:35 remaining in the final period, he checked in for Schroder and remained in the game before the coaching staff alternated between Thompson and Schroder in the final 25 seconds, as the Knicks threatened a come-from-behind win.

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).

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Detroit, MI

Former Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron

Published

12 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Former Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron

The Pistons have made recent moves to add more shooting, but still don’t have anyone quite as lethal as former Detroit guard Luke Kennard. On Saturday night, Kennard had a brilliant start to his postseason with 27 uber-efficient points for the Lakers in a win against the Rockets. His level of 3-point accuracy is something the Pistons have desperately been seeking all season long to bolster their offense.

Luke Kennard’s shooting makes him a dangerous playoff performer

Kennard was originally drafted to Detroit with the 17th pick of the 2017 Draft. The Pistons have plenty of draft regrets from that general era of team history, but picking Kennard has never been one of them. Despite any other weaknesses he may have, his strength as a shooter has always been enough to offset them.

In terms of pure 3-point percentage, Kennard is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He averages 44% behind the arc for his career, and shot a blistering 48% this season – the best mark in the league. Given his incredible track record, it’s not exactly a shocker to see him shoot 5-of-5 from three en route to 27 points in Game 1.

Not only is Kennard obviously an excellent standstill shooter, but he’s also a master of getting himself open with his movement. On Saturday night, he was able to play off LeBron James perfectly for a few easy looks. After that, he caught enough of a rhythm to create 3-point looks for himself, even in transition.

A player like Kennard is easily capable of turning an entire playoff game when he gets hot. In a close series, that one game where Kennard hits several threes can be all the difference his team needs to advance. If the Lakers do manage to win this series, even without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Kennard’s shooting will be a major reason why.

The Pistons could use someone like Kennard

Kennard would be a perfect marginal addition for the Pistons that only makes them better without taking anything away from the team. To be fair, the Pistons do have two shooters who have been hot recently in Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter. But having more than one respected shooter on the court at a time is often necessary to maintain a solid offense in today’s NBA.

Given the Pistons’ current lack of shooting, any additional shooters are welcome. And Kennard is understandably one of the most feared shooters in the league, capable of bending defenses just by the threat of him taking a three. Rolling him out on the Pistons would surely open up more lanes for Detroit’s stars to attack the paint and score easier points.

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Detroit, MI

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported.

Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.

The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.

In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction.

None of the gunshots struck the vehicle.

Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident.

The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office.

In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.

The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.

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Detroit, MI

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Who is favored in the NBA playoffs odds for Game 1 between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic?

Here’s what you need to know about NBA playoff betting odds for the NBA game between the No. 8 seed Magic and No. 1 seed Pistons, which is being played on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

What is the point spread for the Pistons vs Magic game?

What is the moneyline for the Magic vs Pistons game?

What is the over/under (point total) for betting on the first-round NBA playoff matchup?

Watch Magic at Pistons on Peacock

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is point spread?

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Detroit Pistons are an 8.5-point favorite over the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Pistons vs Magic odds: What is moneyline?

BetMGM Sportsbook lists Detroit as -375 on the moneyline for the first-round NBA playoff game. It has Orlando at +290.

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is over/under?

The point total for the opening game of the NBA playoffs series between the Pistons and Magic is listed at 218.5 points, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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