Pistons vs Knicks G2 Preview: Brunson Shocks 2-0 Cunningham is looking to end a 15-game losing streak

At 7:30 a.m. Beijing time on April 22, the NBA playoffs will continue, and the Pistons will play the Knicks again, after the G1 game, the Knicks defeated the Pistons 123-112 and led 1-0 in total.

After Brunson helped the Knicks pull off a comeback and win the first game, Knicks coach Thibodeau quipped, "I feel like he's wearing his cape." ”

Brunson and his teammates were unstoppable late in the race, and they were hoping to have a similar performance in G2 with a more even distribution of points. The Pistons, for their part, will be hoping to play better late in the game to tie the game in the first round of the Eastern Conference series.

The Knicks are trying to take a 2-0 lead at the start of the series for the second straight season, while the Pistons are looking to end a 15-game playoff losing streak since Game 4 against the Celtics in 2008. This is the longest playoff losing streak in NBA history.

In the last 12 minutes of G1, the Knicks played a score of 40-21 and successfully defeated the Pistons. Eight of the Pistons' 21 turnovers throughout the game came in the fourth quarter, where Brunson scored 12 of his 34 points.

The Pistons led the Knicks 98-92 in the fourth quarter, but then failed to score for 4:54, and the Knicks exploded into a 21-0 surge to completely turn the situation on the court. In this wave of 21-0 offensive, Brunson scored eight points.

Speaking after the G1 game, Brunson said: "This win is huge, especially at home. The Pistons put us under a lot of pressure, but we found a way in the fourth quarter, managed to defend the opponent and ultimately won the game. When you get a win, it goes a long way in boosting confidence. ”

In the fourth quarter, the Knicks' Payne also played well. Payne hit a tie-breaking three-pointer with 7:47 left and scored 11 of his 14 points on the Knicks' 70.8 percent shooting, including 13-of-17 from the paint.

The Pistons have won 44 games this season, 30 more than last season, including three wins over the Knicks in the regular season. However, in G1, they lost because they couldn't control the ball well and couldn't effectively deal with the opponent's constant impact on the inside.

The Pistons will be looking for a game 2 to equalize the overall score. They shot just 31.8 percent from the field in the fourth quarter in G1 and watched as the Knicks capitalized on their turnovers to score 11 points in the final quarter.

The Pistons will be hoping Cunningham can be more efficient in the upcoming games. Harris scored 25 points in G1 to help the Pistons take control of the first three quarters, but Cunningham scored 21 points on just 8-of-21 shooting.

"It's just one game in the series," Harris said. Playoff basketball is about how you respond, and that's one of the most important things in the league. I'm looking forward to seeing how we respond. ”

The Pistons need Stewart to avoid getting into foul trouble. The physical, hard-hitting backup center picked up his fifth foul with 9:6 left in the game, resulting in him playing just 48 seconds in the fourth quarter. In addition, due to inflammation in his right knee, Stewart G2's condition is doubtful.

Pistons coach Bickerstaff said, "I think we played better in the first three quarters. These are valuable lessons for us, and we have to be honest with ourselves in this regard. We talked about the importance of experience before the game, and that's experience. Now, as we try to equalise on aggregate in the next game, how quickly can we learn from this one? Bickerstaff also needs to learn his lesson, as he didn't call a timeout when the Knicks hit a late climax.

List of injuries and illnesses

Pistons: Ivey is out, Stewart is doubtful

Knicks: All-up

ESPN Predicted Win Percentage:Pistons 30.9%, Knicks 69.1%