Pistons end NBA's longest postseason skid
Dennis Schroder's tie-breaking 3-pointer with 55.7 seconds left helped the Detroit Pistons end the longest post-season losing streak in NBA history with Monday's 100-94 win over the New York Knicks.
Schroder's clutch late shot and Cade Cunningham's 33 points and 12 rebounds evened this best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1 and gave the Pistons their first play-off win in 17 years. Detroit lost 15 straight post-season contests following a 94-75 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the 2008 East finals.
Tobias Harris (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Jalen Duren (12 points, 13 rebounds) also posted double-doubles for the sixth-seeded Pistons, while Schroder came up big off the bench with 20 points.
Detroit will now attempt to carry the momentum over into Thursday's Game 3, the Pistons' first home play-off game since 2019.
This win snapped a 15-game playoff losing streak for the Pistons. They shot 22.2% from 3-point range in doing so (6 of 27), as they did the last time they won a playoff game (2 of 9 vs. the Celtics in 2008).#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/J4hmoTwfpN
— Opta Analyst US (@OptaAnalystUS) April 22, 2025
The third-seeded Knicks got 37 points and seven assists from Jalen Brunson and 19 points from Mikael Bridges, but had their other key players held in check. Karl-Anthony Towns particularly struggled, managing just 10 points and six rebounds on a night when Detroit owned a 48-34 advantage on the glass.
Out to avenge Saturday's 123-112 Game 1 loss in New York, the Pistons started strong. They jumped out to a 25-18 lead after one quarter and extended the margin to 13 points in the second, when Cunningham scored six straight points to put his team up 48-35 with 4 1/2 minutes left before half-time.
The Knicks closed to within 55-49 at the intermission, but Detroit put together an 11-0 run midway through the third quarter to expand its lead to 68-53 with five minutes to go in the period.
New York had a response later on, however. Brunson, who scored 14 fourth-quarter points, led the Knicks on a 16-4 surge he capped by feeding Josh Hart for a dunk that tied the game at 94-94 with 1:15 remaining.
Schroder buried a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, though, and the Knicks missed four shots from beyond the arc in the final seconds as Detroit closed out the game by making 3 of 4 free throws.
Leonard's big game draws Clippers even with Nuggets
A Western Conference opening-round series is also now tied up after two games, after the Los Angeles Clippers held on for a much-needed 105-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Kawhi Leonard came through with 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting as the fifth-seeded Clippers bounced back from Saturday's 112-110 overtime loss in Denver in Game 1. The defeat was the fourth-seeded Nuggets' first in five games since interim head coach David Adelman replaced Michael Malone in the final week of the regular season.
James Harden added 18 points and seven assists for Los Angeles, which also received a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double from Ivica Zubac that helped offset another triple-double from Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
Jokic finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, but the reigning NBA MVP also committed seven of 20 Denver turnovers on the night.
Jamal Murray contributed 23 points for the Nuggets, while Michael Porter Jr. pulled down 15 rebounds to go along with 15 points.
A game in which neither team led by more than eight points came down to the final stages and was tied at 100-100 when Murray knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:07 left to play.
Norman Powell answered with a 3-pointer of his own with 1:30 remaining to put the Clippers back ahead, though Jokic hit two free throws on the following possession to bring Denver within 103-102.
Leonard then drained a clutch 21-footer with 54.1 seconds left to give Los Angeles some breathing room, and the Clippers held on when both Jokic and Christian Braun misfired on 3-point tries with time winding down.
Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points tonight on 15 of 19 shooting and 5 of 5 free throws. Dating to '62-63, he's the first player to score at least 39 points in a playoff game while attempting no more than 19 FGs and five FTs.
— Opta Analyst US (@OptaAnalystUS) April 22, 2025
Paul Pierce scored 38 on 14 of 19 and 4 of 4 in 2011.
The series now shifts to Los Angeles, with Game 3 to take place Thursday.
Los Angeles held a slim 55-52 half-time edge behind Leonard's 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting, but a pair of Aaron Gordon baskets to start the third quarter put Denver up by one.
An 8-2 run late in the third quarter gave the Clippers a 78-71 advantage, though Jokic responded by scoring the final five points of the period to trim Los Angeles' lead to two entering the fourth.