Category: Basketball

Undersized Pritchard does all the big-boy stuff for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Payton Pritchard should win NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Tuesday night, and the highlight package to announce the honor will invariably show a barrage of his 3-point shots. 

That’s understandable. Part of the reason that Pritchard will be collecting the John Havlicek Trophy and etching a new chapter in Boston’s storied history of sixth men is because he piled up an NBA record 246 3-pointers off the bench this season.

But while those triples — especially the thrilling half-court buzzer beaters — get much of the attention, the most remarkable thing about Pritchard might just be all the big-guy stuff this little guy does.

At 6-foot-1, Pritchard is the shortest player on Boston’s roster — by three inches before fellow 6-foot-1 guard J.D. Davison got the late-season call up — and is routinely the smallest player on the floor during his court time. And yet Pritchard has become one of the best undersized finishers in the league around the basket, and he piles up offensive rebounds at a rate that would make most 7-footers blush.

Pritchard shot a career-best 75.4 percent at the rim this season, connecting on 98 of 130 shot attempts near the basket. Of the 105 guards with at least 100-plus attempts at the rim, the only pure guard who finished with a higher efficiency was Golden State’s 6-foot-2 Gary Payton II (79.4 percent). 

Pritchard’s ability to create space around the basket is uncanny and showcases his incredible feel for the game. In Sunday’s Game 1 against the Magic, he blew past Orlando big man Wendell Carter Jr., who pursued from behind. With Paolo Banchero lingering near the rim, Pritchard sensed the sliver of space available and went up quick with a layup between both players. 

More often, Pritchard will generate a one-on-one matchup with a guard and use a little forearm shove to create just enough space to finish at the rim. After shooting 56.9 percent at the rim in his first three seasons in the NBA, Pritchard is now at 74.6 percent at the rim over the past two seasons.

“I think it’s just the understanding of like when it’s a 1-on-1 coverage,” Pritchard says. “If it’s two on the ball at the rim, then I got to kick it out.

“But I’ve gotten good at the point where, if it’s just 1-on-1, me and another defender down there, then I’ve figured out angles and how to use my body to get enough separation to get it up quickly. So just from a lot of practice and work, foot work and stuff down there.”

That footwork tied Orlando’s Cole Anthony in a pretzel during the first half of Sunday’s Game 1. After spinning to the free throw line on a second-quarter drive, Pritchard tried to create space with a little forearm shove, but Anthony stuck close and immediately left his feet to contest. Pritchard patiently stayed on two feet and instead stepped through the contest for an easy left-handed layup before Carter Jr. could arrive with help. 

Pritchard has become masterful at creating space around the basket, particularly with those quick bumps to a backpedaling defender. 

“It’s like a rib shot,” said Pritchard. “[Defenders are] not going to necessarily take a charge down there. So give a little bump and all you need is a little separation.”

When he’s not scoring amongst the trees, Pritchard has an uncanny knack for tracking down misses in the same forest. Pritchard posted a career-best mark in offensive rebound percentage this season while corralling 4.2 percent of his team’s total misses. 

For the second straight season, Boston’s offensive rebound rate spiked with Pritchard on the court.

Boston’s rate was 5.3 percent higher in Pritchard’s minutes, ranking in the 93rd percentile for differential among all NBA players, per Cleaning the Glass tracking. Only Luke Kornet (190) totaled more offensive rebounds on the Celtics’ roster this season. 

The more eye-popping number is when you look at his offensive rebound totals compared to other guards. 

All of Pritchard’s numbers this season tend to jump off the page. His 1,079 bench points led the NBA, and he’s only the fourth Celtics player in team history to reach that 1,000-point plateau off the bench, joining Kevin McHale (three times), Ricky Davis, and Malcolm Brogdon.

Pritchard had 23 games with 20-plus bench points (best in the NBA), and his 22 games with five-plus 3-pointers were a franchise record (and second in NBA history behind only Detroit’s Malik Beasley). 

Pritchard finished with 255 total 3-pointers, the second-highest total in team history, trailing only Derrick White, who hit 265 this season.

The 3s are nice and ultimately will be what everyone fixates on. But the big-guy things that Pritchard does are the real reasons why he’s the best bench boost in the league.

Thunder star throws subtle shade at Draymond for DPOY nomination originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort is not one of the three finalists for this year’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, and his teammates immediately came to his defense — by throwing a shot at Warriors forward Draymond Green.

Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein was asked Monday what he thinks voters missed by leaving Dort off the finalist list, to which he offered a sarcastic suggestion.

“I might need to get a podcast with Lu,” Hartenstein said (h/t OKC Thunder Wire’s Clemente Almanza). “I don’t know. Maybe that. If you’ve watched him all year, he’s been great. The finalists are great defenders, but watching Lu do what he does on a nightly basis, I think that’s what people don’t see with the stats that don’t show.

“He’s been great all year. To me, he’s Defensive Player of the Year.”

Isaiah Hartenstein on Lu Dort not being a DPOY finalist “I might need to get a podcast with Lu.” pic.twitter.com/mlVQ9GF5gy

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) April 21, 2025

Green, of course, has his well-known podcast, “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis,” which launched in 2021. He originally was ridiculed for hosting a podcast while the NBA season was ongoing, but the criticism died down after Green helped the Warriors win their fourth title in 2022.

Green now is vying for his second career DPOY nod after averaging 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks while finishing with a 108.8 defensive rating in 68 games this season.

Atlanta Hawks wing Dyson Daniels and Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley join Green as DPOY finalists.

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Report: Nets could be Kuminga sign-and-trade destination for Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jonathan Kuminga’s future with the Warriors quickly has become cloudy after recently falling out of coach Steve Kerr’s rotation.

If a divorce occurs this offseason, NBA contributor Marc Stein reported in his latest Substack that the Brooklyn Nets could be a potential landing spot for the 22-year-old forward, who will be a restricted free agent this summer.

“The Brooklyn Nets have long loomed as a potential suitor that the Warriors have been monitoring given the Nets’ projected cap space,” Stein wrote. “Brooklyn’s true level of interest remains to be seen, but Kuminga could not come to terms with Golden State last fall when he was seeking a contract higher than the $30 million in average annual salary that went to fellow Class of 2021 first-round draftees Jalen Suggs (Orlando) and Jalen Johnson (Atlanta).

“The Nets, at present, are projected to be the only team with $40 million in salary cap space this summer, theoretically positioning them to mount a firm Kuminga pursuit if they wish. That lack of abundant cap space has led various team strategists this week to suggest that a sign-and-trade could be the ultimate mechanism that delivers the former No. 7 pick out of the Bay Area come July.”

Stein also reported, citing league sources, that Kerr and other Warriors decision-makers have been hoping for more development from Kuminga since selecting him No. 7 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Kuminga hasn’t played in Golden State’s last three games, but in 47 contests (10 starts) this season, he averaged 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting, with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes.

He played some of the best basketball of his career from late December through early January before suffering an ankle injury that kept him off the floor for two months. And after Golden State acquired six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, Kerr admitted it’s been difficult to find a rotational fit for Kuminga.

Draymond Green expressed confidence that Kuminga would get some action during Golden State’s current first-round playoff matchup with the young and athletic Houston Rockets. Kuminga was a DNP in Game 1, and how this series unfolds could be telling for his future with the team.

Kuminga and the Warriors attempted to work out an extension entering the 2024-25 season, but both sides weren’t able to reach an agreement before last October’s deadline. Brooklyn finished the regular season 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 26-56 record and is focused on building toward the future. The Nets have the financial flexibility to pry Kuminga away from the Warriors.

Given Kuminga’s restricted status, Golden State will have the opportunity to match any offer that the forward receives in free agency. But what could that look like? Only time will tell.

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Warriors' GP2 not defined by name, but through story inked on his body originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

HOUSTON – The modern NBA is a search for 3-and-D players, combining someone’s ability to possess the size of a wing who can lock up defensively and be a knock-down shooter from long distance. Really, the league is littered with specialists. 

Rim protectors. Lob threats. Energizers. Sharpshooters, bench buckets, and defensive pests. It’s all about knowing your role. 

Jamal Crawford carved out a career that spanned two decades of coming off the bench and scoring at will, earning him three Sixth Man of the Year awards. Gary Payton II is the opposite for the Warriors. 

If a team has someone on a heater, coach Steve Kerr knows Payton can take off his warmup gear, toss a player in the freezer and shift the game in the Warriors’ favor. 

In the same mold as his father, Payton was a two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, but he also averaged 14.3 points in his two years at Oregon State with the ball in his hands and was given scoring duties throughout his time in the G League. Teams couldn’t find the right fit for Payton, until he finally broke through in his age-29 season with the Warriors in their 2021-22 NBA championship campaign as a puzzling player who doesn’t fit the mold of his size.

“Teams are going to live with me taking shots and for me to try to beat them,” Payton tells NBC Sports Bay Area. “If I can help out with 10, 15 points each game and get Steph [Curry] and Jimmy [Butler] their points, that’s just another thing you have to worry about.” 

Payton’s shot evaporated into the ether to begin the 2024-25 NBA season, making only five of his 32 3-point attempts (15.6 percent) from opening night through the Warriors’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas. He then missed the Warriors’ next 10 games to injury, but his left hand found the magic touch, shooting 41.3 percent on threes (26 of 63) the rest of the regular season in 34 games. 

He’s listed at 6-foot-2, but has a 6-foot-8 wingspan and cosplays as Doc Ock with arms growing every which way to cause other teams nightmares. He’s a point guard defensively and a power forward offensively, sneaking behind on the baseline and dunking on the heads of 7-footers.

Kerr in his 15-year playing career and 11 years as the Warriors’ coach has seen every type of player. He only has witnessed the complexity of one GP2. There is no comparison. 

“Nobody. I’ve never seen a player like Gary,” Kerr says. 

Payton’s story could have been written in nepotism as yet another son of a former NBA star and Hall of Famer. Payton could have let his namesake define him. Really, his story is written in ink all over his body, a plethora of characters representing different steps of triumphs and tribulations for the 32-year-old. 

Lilies on the front side of his left shoulder in honor of his mother, Monique, were Payton’s first tattoo at 18 years old. Now, he’s covered in tats everywhere, but it’s the wide range of people that stand out most. 

There’s Gandhi and Bob Marley, but also characters like Heath Ledger’s Joker, Neytiri from Avatar and comic book character Hellboy. 

The Gandhi tattoo stems from a period in Payton’s life where he had to find a calmness with his journey and embrace mindfulness in adversity, not trying to fight and rush life’s process but to be at peace with it. Putting Marley on his body was a similar reminder that as his own lyrics go, everything is going to be all right.

When Payton left the Warriors to sign a bigger contract with the Portland Trail Blazers in the summer of 2022, he entered unfamiliar terrain, which sparked his motivation to get the Avatar tattoo. Hellboy is a “be-you tattoo,” Payton says, staying in the shadows but being himself to shine a light on who he has become. 

Of all his tattoos, though, which one explains who Payton the basketball player is? 

The choice wasn’t intentional. The meaning wasn’t about basketball, but after a quick pause, Payton has his answer.

“I got Davy Jones on my shoulder, Captain Davy Jones,” he says. “Davy, he’s got two sides to him – night and day. When he comes out with his crew, he’s a captain. He’s a leader, for sure. He sets the tone for the crew and everything they’re trying to get done. Captain Davy Jones would probably be that on-court one.” 

But Payton’s most meaningful tattoo is one of his smaller ones: A Golden Snitch on the back of his neck. 

Think about it. Payton was born to be a Seeker in the world of “Harry Potter,” zooming past his competition with eyes on the prize, never losing sight of what it takes to win. Just like him coming out of nowhere for a game-breaking steal on the hardwood, Payton can close his eyes and see himself flying through the air, snatching the Golden Snitch and hearing his chosen house cheer in victory. 

He even added a Sirius Black tattoo last summer, and went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Payton couldn’t decide on a broom then, but will have one hanging in his house soon enough. 

“Having that determination and that motive to lock in,” Payton says of his Golden Snitch tattoo. “You got to squint – you may see it, you may not. It’s just like, you may see the end of the road and you may not. You just got to push and keep going.” 

All this sounds like someone who should be draped in the scarlet red and gold of Gryffindor. Again, never put Payton in a box. He’s a Slytherin, he says, and even has a Lord Voldemort tattoo on the backside of his left shoulder. 

“They’re not all a–holes,” he reminds me. “There’s some cool ones. There’s Snape. You thought you knew Snape, but Snape was solid.” 

It’s the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ NBA play-in tournament game last week and they’re down by one point with seven minutes left. Jimmy Butler gets fouled by Scotty Pippen Jr. to take his 17th and 18th free throws of the game, making both and putting the Warriors ahead by one point. Before getting the ball at the charity stripe, Payton shows why Warriors fans have adored him over the years. 

Off the court he’s an advocate for dyslexia as someone who has dealt with it as well. Payton also invested in and partnered with SUPLMNT, a Black-owned water bottle brand that focuses on hydration being part of the culture. He can’t hop on a board anymore, but Payton has a big part in the Skateboard Association (SBA) launching this summer. True to himself, his story is written in only ways he knows how.

On the court, he’s menace for the team across from him and a lovable figure to those who root for him. As Butler heads to the free-throw line, Payton tosses the ball back and forth with an older woman whose short, nearly translucent white hair shimmers off the Chase Center lights. Her smile is seen from press row high above her, giving the crowd a lighthearted moment while the scene calls for heart-pumping stress and anxiety. 

As someone who grew up around the game and NBA arenas, Payton learned at a young age how far those gestures can go for fans who use their money to watch people play a game. The players, the fans and everybody in the building need a lesson in joy, and Payton is happy to provide it. 

“I told myself if I ever got in a position to be able to do that, just to give back that moment, I know how far that goes, especially for a fan – how long and how far those moments go,” Payton says. 

Nothing will make him happier than a second championship parade. That means more ink, too. Payton got a tattoo of himself flexing from the 2022 NBA Finals on the back of his left leg, and already has an idea of a trophy if the Warriors can complete the mission this year. Another ring also would give him the bragging rights he always dreamed of. 

He and his father both are one-time NBA champions, for now. The original Gary Payton can have a closet full of accolades, but that isn’t going to deter his son from smack-talking one of the game’s greatest wordsmiths. 

“Overall basketball player, I’m better for sure,” Payton says. “You can have your Hall of Fame. Yeah, you’re good. You got the numbers. You’re cool. Overall, I’m the better basketball player.” 

His story could have ended how it began, being defined by a name. That’s not Gary Payton II. Every day his tale is told his own way, through tattoos and grinning at the game of life and basketball, one day at a time.

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Kawhi Leonard hit 39 points as the Los Angeles Clippers levelled their first-round play-off series with a thrilling 105-102 win over the Denver Nuggets.

The 33-year-old converted 15 of his 19 shots, helping the Clippers bounce back after an overtime defeat in game one.

The Nuggets had the chance to send game two to overtime but Christian Braun missed with a three-pointer with six seconds left, while Nikola Jokic failed with the rebound.

"It felt like he didn't miss a shot. His shot-making ability is elite," said team-mate James Harden.

"That's the aggressiveness we need from him. No matter who is guarding him. He just got to a spot and raised it up.

"He's a big-time player and he played big time tonight."

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said: "This is what Kawhi lives for. If we have a healthy Kawhi then we can win any series."

Jokic hit 26 points for the Nuggets as well as 12 rebounds and 10 assists, while Jamal Murray added 23 points.

Game three of the series is on 25 April (03:00 BST).

Pistons hit back against Knicks

The Detroit Pistons broke a 15-game play-off losing streak by beating the New York Knicks 100-94 to level their Eastern Conference first-round play-off.

Cade Cunningham hit 33 points for the Pistons while Dennis Schroder added 20 points from the bench.

The victory was the Pistons' first in the play-offs since game four of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

"We did what we were supposed to do. And that was it," said Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff.

"To win a game on the road to get home court was what we came here for."

Game three of the series is on 25 April (00:00 BST).

• Curry leads Warriors to play-off win at Rockets

Karl-Anthony Towns has been a driving force for the Knicks' offense all season. He averaged 24 points on 52 percent shooting in the regular season. He had 23 points in New York’s Game 1 win over Detroit. 

But Towns was surprisingly relegated to a decoy in the second half of New York’s troubling Game 2 loss to Detroit on Monday. 

Towns took just three shots in the second half against the Pistons. He did not attempt a shot in the fourth quarter. 

“Just trying to have the game do what it does, just executing what we talked about,” Towns said after the game. “I thought we got some great shots, some great looks, you live with those kinds of great shots and great looks, especially when you’ve fought back in the game.”

Towns wasn’t going to throw any of his teammates or coaches under the bus when speaking with the media. But anyone who watched the game knew Towns was under-utilized. 

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau echoed Towns, saying his center made good decisions with the ball in Game 2. 

 “He’s getting touches, he’s making the right play,” Thibodeau said after the Game 2 loss. “If he’s getting double-teamed, I don’t want him to shoot the ball over three people. That makes no sense to me.”

The Knicks shot 7-for-17 in the fourth quarter when the game was in the balance. They missed 8-of-10 three-point attempts. 

None of those shots were from Towns, who hit 42 percent of his threes this season.

“I’m just executing what we’re told to do and trying to do my best and do it at a high level,” Towns said when asked about the second half.  

No, Towns didn’t criticize anyone after the game. But he didn’t have to. The results spoke for themselves.

Yes, the Knicks got a questionable whistle in Game 2. But they also had a questionable offensive process. 

That’s one of several things they need to clean up as the series heads to Detroit. 

There was a moment when Kawhi Leonard leaned over with one minute and 30 seconds left, his head down looking at the court, exhausted from all the work he was putting in for the Clippers.

But Leonard didn’t let fatigue stop him, his will and spirit leading the Clippers to a 105-102 win over the Denver Nuggets to even the best-of-seven playoff series at 1-1.

Leonard finished with 39 points in 39 minutes. He was 15 for 19 from the field, his jumper with 54.5 seconds left providing the final margin of victory. He also had a key steal in the final minute off a bad pass from Nikola Jokic.

Read more:Clippers vow to take better care of the basketball after Game 1 loss to Nuggets

“It’s difficult,” Leonard said about the energy it takes to play in an NBA game. “Like I said, playing here, playing against this great team, they got great players, know their roles. ... Any NBA game is very hard to play, especially in the playoffs. It might look easy by just watching us and seeing how skilled we are. But these games are hard to play. You got to play every possession every minute.

The game wasn’t decided until Christian Braun missed a three and Jokic, who had a triple-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, missed a three-pointer with one second left.

Game 3 is Thursday night at the Intuit Dome.

“I thought Kawhi willed us to a win,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.

Jamal Murray, who had 26 points, tied the score 100-100 on a three-pointer with 2:05 left. Michael Porter Jr. rebounded a missed shot by Leonard, but he turned it over with 1:35 left.

Norman Powell then drilled a three-pointer to give the Clippers a 103-100 lead with 1:30 left, forcing the Nuggets to call timeout. Jokic, who had seven turnovers, then made two free throws to make it a one-point game.

But Leonard made sure the Nuggets wouldn't take the lead. He scored the game's final basket on a 21-foot jumper with 54 seconds left.

“This is what Kawhi lives for,” Lue said. “He’s trying to get to this point where he’s healthy for the playoffs. So we know if we got a healthy Kawhi, we can win any series. That just shows you tonight what he’s capable of doing.”

Ivica Zubac finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds and Powell had 13 points.

The game figured to turn testy after all the physical play between both teams, and things got heated between Powell and Jamal Murray in the third quarter. Murray felt Powell pushed him coming off a screen to get free. When Murray caught up to Powell across the court, the two were face-to-face, and Murray grabbed Powell and picked him up. That led to Kris Dunn and Braun getting into a confrontation, the two exchanging words.

After a review by the officials, Dunn, Powell and Braun were called for unsportsmanlike technical fouls. It was all settled with Murray shooting a technical free throw.

“I thought we responded well,” Lue said. “It actually got Norm going. He made three shots after that. Jamal said he was just competing. It wasn’t anything dirty. Just playing hard and competing. When you are in the playoffs, if things like this don’t happen, then I don’t know if you are playing hard enough. So, it’s going to happen.”

Read more:Turnovers haunt Clippers during Game 1 overtime loss to Nuggets

From the start, Leonard was playing hard, giving the Clippers his all, refusing to let anything get in his way. At the end of the first half, he calmly drilled a three-pointer just before the buzzer, giving the Clippers a 55-52 halftime lead. Leonard had 21 points in 24 minutes during the first half, missing just one of his 10 shots and one of his two three-pointers.

“It felt like he didn’t miss a shot,” said James Harden, who had 18 points, about Leonard. “His shot-making ability is elite. That’s the aggressiveness that we need from him. No matter what’s going on, no matter who is guarding him, he just got to his spot and raised up. So, big-time player. He played big-time tonight.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Knicks and Detroit Pistons were tied with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter, but New York's Game 2 comeback from a largest deficit of 15 points came up short in Monday's 100-94 loss.

After this past Saturday's 21-0 run sparked the Knicks' 123-112 Game 1 win, New York's second late surge fell flat as the Pistons evened the first-round series at 1-1 and set the stage for a pivotal Game 3.

"After a loss, it shows you the true character of a team," said Josh Hart. "It's the playoffs. The series is 1-1. At the end of the day, when you go out there and compete, we're going to be in a good situation and we've got the firepower and the character to go out there and do that, so that's what we've got to focus on."

The best-of-seven set heads to Detroit for Thursday's 7 p.m. tipoff after J.B. Bickerstaff's team snapped an NBA-record 15-game postseason skid and secured the franchise's first playoff win since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

"We did what we were supposed to do, and that was it," Bickerstaff said. "To win a game on the road, to get home court was what we came here for. So we approached it with a business-like mentality and learned from the fourth quarter the other night, but we just did what we were supposed to do."

The Knicks played catch-up Monday following a 25-18 hole in the first quarter, and New York looks to move on from a Game 2 where head coach Tom Thibodeau pointed out the discrepancies.

"Each game is different," Thibodeau said. "You have to reset. Whether you win or lose, you reset, get ready for the next one. You've got to understand what goes into winning."

The Knicks had other issues in their Game 2 loss to the Detroit Pistons, but they were outshot 34-19 on free throws. Tom Thibodeau made a point of the "huge discrepancy" between Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham after Monday's 100-94 defeat.

"He battled like crazy," Thibodeau said of Brunson, who scored a game-high 37 points on 12-of-27 shooting and a 9-for-11 clip at the charity stripe. "There was some physicality. I want to take a look. Obviously, huge discrepancy in free throws -- huge, huge. I've got to take a look at that, right? So I don't understand how, on one side, you talk about the direct line drives -- the guy's getting fouled and it's not being called, right?

"And look, I really don't give a crap how they call the game as long as it's consistent on both sides. So if Cunningham's driving and there's marginal contact and he's getting to the line, then Jalen deserves to be getting to the line. It's really that simple."

Cunningham led the Pistons with 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting and a 10-for-12 mark at the line.

"He was elite," said Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff. "You know what I mean? He is a superstar, and he played the game tonight as a superstar. He did what he needed to do to help his team win. He understood how aggressive he needed to be on the offensive end of the floor, so he was going to go out and be aggressive. He also understood how important finishing possessions was, and he had 11 defensive rebounds.

"That's knowing and understanding how to manipulate the game but how to make winning plays, whatever your team needs in the moment."

The Knicks turn the page to Game 3 in Detroit with a 1-1 series entering Thursday's 7 p.m. start.

"It's the playoffs," said Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting and did not attempt a free throw. "Can't be worried about free-throw disparity and all that stuff. We've got to go out there and play physical and not worry about that. If we let that creep into our minds, it becomes contagious."

The Knicks dropped Game 2 to the Detroit Pistons as Cade Cunningham took over in Monday's 100-94 final at MSG.

Takeaways

-Cunningham was arguably the best player on the floor. After OG Anunobydominated Cunningham in Game 1, Cunningham came out firing and willed the Pistons to a 1-1 series. He scored 20 of his team-high 33 points in the first half, aggressively getting high-percentage shots, as Detroit built a 55-49 advantage into the third quarter and ultimately did not relinquish the lead over the final 24 minutes. To have a chance at upsetting the Knicks in the first round's 6-3 matchup, the Pistons need Cunningham -- who added 12 rebounds across 41 minutes -- to rise up, and he did just that with his Game 2 breakout.

-Conversely, Anunoby is not going to win every battle as the war against Cunningham continues. As such, the Knicks need their stars to collectively answer Cunningham's surges. Among them, Karl-Anthony Towns must show more. The big man and co-star to captain Jalen Brunson -- who paced New York with a heroic game-high 37 points in 44 minutes -- totaled 10 points and sixrebounds across 33 minutes. Towns was a shell of himself when the Knicks had a chance to put the Pistons down.

-Tobias Harris, who was among Detroit's efforts in limiting Towns, is proving to be a legitimate threat to the Knicks. After a team-high 25 points in Game 1, he complemented Cunningham among the Pistons' leading Game 2 scorers with 15. Cunningham makes Detroit go, but Harris has given New York a real fit in the first two games.

-Elsewhere, off the bench, Dennis Schroder was the Pistons' riser to know, with 20 points in 29 minutes. After Cam Paynecatalyzed the Knicks in Game 1, fueling a fourth-quarter surge, he came back down to earth with his scoreless four minutes. In fact, New York's bench was scoreless outside of Miles McBride's eight points in 13 minutes. While Mikal Bridges mostly stepped his game up, scoring 19 points in 38 minutes, the reality is that the Knicks had nowhere near the amount of support to match the Pistons.

Who's the MVP?

Cunningham. Brunson was sensational, but the Pistons do not beat the Knicks in Game 2 without the 23-year-old phenom.

Highlights

KAT fakes out the defense for the bucket 🔥

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/YiDhG6hneS

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 21, 2025

Josh Hart finds OG Anunoby under the basket 👓

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/NLME2mL8ks

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 21, 2025

MIKAL 😤😤

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/vEauFcNxNq

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 21, 2025

Mikal with the slam! 💪

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/WkTIwdDQKG

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 22, 2025

Back-to-back triples from Brunson 🔥

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/bum2crIBMT

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 22, 2025

Defense to offense! 👏

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/xTJR8x5u9v

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 22, 2025

What's next

Game 3 of the first-round series takes place in Detroit on Thursday, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. The Pistons will also host Game 4 on Sunday (1 p.m.) before the series returns to New York for a to-be-determined start time next Tuesday.