Pistons Fend Off Knicks To End Longest Losing Streak In NBA Playoff History

Last season, the Detroit Pistons were the laughingstock of the NBA. This year, they’re occasionally getting the last laugh.

It happened again Tuesday night in New York, with the Pistons holding off the Knicks, 100-94, to even their first-round series at 1-all. The victory snapped the longest losing streak in NBA playoff history — as Detroit hadn’t won a postseason game since 2008. They had lost 14 straight.

They’ve done it under first-year coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who arrived after five seasons in Cleveland and guided his new squad to a 44-38 and the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. (The Knicks are No. 3.)

That’s a 30-game improvement from last year’s 14-68 mark, which included a league-record losing streak of 28 games. Along with Bickerstaff, new head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon added veterans such as Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley to a young, hungry roster to help with a playoff push. Now, the Pistons are pushing the Knicks with the next two games in Detroit.

All of it — combined with the continued rise of guard Cade Cunningham — has made this a banner season for a proud franchise that was starting to become forgotten.

Cunningham was fantastic again in Game 2, erupting for 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting, along with 12 assists. Dennis Schroder, picked up after the February trade deadline, added 20 points off the bench, including a late free throw to all but seal it. Schroder finished 5-of-6 from the line.

The Knicks used a major second-half run to capture Game 1, but had no such luck this time. Detroit shored up its defense and was able to pull away in the final moments.

Jalen Brunson led New York with a game-high 37 points.