NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons may not have history on their side, but they’re not out of it just yet.
The Pistons held off the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in a 106-103 victory, temporarily staving off elimination in their first-round series and setting up a Game 6 in Detroit on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
Jalen Duran’s dunk off a Cade Cunningham assist gave the Pistons a 95-93 lead with 3:08 left that they would not relinquish.
The Pistons are trying to become just the 14th team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 series deficit, with 95.5% of teams in such situations failing to advance.
The Knicks, meanwhile, had been trying to close out a postseason series at home for the first time since the 1999 Eastern Conference finals, when current head coach Tom Thibodeau was a young assistant on staff.
Pistons first-time All-Star Cade Cunningham carried Detroit with a big second half, finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on 6-of-17 shooting. Forward Ausar Thompson, known more for his defense, poured in 22 points and seven boards, often getting easy opportunities in the paint on cuts and lobs.
As they have all series long, the Knicks once again entered the fourth quarter facing a deficit and tried to rally.
One positive development for the Knicks — who at times this series have overly depended on the scoring of stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns — was that role players and reserves carried the burden until Brunson and Towns found their footing.
All five Knicks starters reached double figures, with backup center Mitchell Robinson’s 13 points making it six Knicks to reach double figures.
With three-and-a-half minutes left in the half, the pair had combined for just 1-of-10 shooting and five points.
Brunson would finish with 16 points, while Towns would add 17.
Sluggish third quarters had been an issue all series for New York, and the Knicks again Tuesday started the period slowly, falling behind by 10 points midway through the period, their largest deficit of the game.
But the Knicks closed the period on a 13-6 run to go into the fourth quarter down by three.
Still, the Pistons ramped up their defensive intensity down the stretch and hit enough shots to maintain a steady, if minor lead.
The Knicks did hit a pair of late 3s to keep the game close, but Detroit converted its free throws, eventually pulling away.
