How the Knicks rode a scoring frenzy — and tough defense — for a 21-0 run in win vs. Pistons

NEW YORK — A basket from Dennis Schröder spurred a famine.

The layup increased the Detroit Pistons’ lead to eight points with 9:16 to go in the final period. Four and a half minutes later, with Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks on the line, they trailed by 13.

The Knicks now lead the series, closing out a 123-112 victory Saturday at Madison Square Garden, one that never would have occurred without the 21-0 run that followed Schröder’s lay-in.

A quick and-1 on finger roll from backup point guard Cameron Payne followed; Knicks down 98-93. Then a floater from two-time All-Star Jalen Brunson; Knicks down 98-95. Then Payne again, this time bombing in a 3-pointer; tie game. Then Brunson inside the 3-point arc; Knicks up two.

New York’s couple of point guards alternated scores. The Pistons couldn’t do the same.

on a 8-0 run and bringing the PAYN3 😤 pic.twitter.com/jqMGDUHyRh

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 20, 2025

Payne hit another 3-pointer to follow Brunson’s bucket; Knicks up 103-98. Two more Brunson layups followed; 107-98.

Brunson and Payne combined to score 17 points — nine for Payne and eight for Brunson — in just 3 minutes, 57 seconds.

“I got some experience, I’ve been there before,” Payne said. “I know how the fourth quarter gets. You still gotta play your game, you still gotta play Knicks basketball at the end of the day. You can’t get bottled up within the game. We just gotta be ourselves.”

Brunson added: “There was never a doubt that we were not going to just lay down and not fight. We were going to figure out ways to keep battling. … It was a quick turnaround and just happy with the way we played in the fourth.”

Josh Hart also chimed in, flowing for a couple of layups that put the Knicks up 111-98 with 4:49 to go in the game. By the time Pistons sharpshooter Malik Beasley nailed a 3 from the top of the key with 4:35 to go, it was too late.

“Defensively is where we made that run,” Hart said. “We got stops. Got out, got easy buckets. Cam came in and was electric for us. It was huge. We’ve got to make sure we build off that.”

Indeed, the run was hardly just offense.

The Knicks clamped down on the Pistons’ facilitators during that time. The leader of Detroit’s attack, Cade Cunningham, turned the ball over twice during the 21-0 run, when the Pistons shot 0-of-10 from the field and missed all four of their 3-point attempts.

“I thought our defense got us going,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We got some stops. We got into the open floor. And we got some easy scoring opportunities.”

It led to fast-break layups, lots of offense for New York and a 1-0 series lead.

(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)