Cade Cunningham delivered 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as Detroit edged the Knicks 106-103 at Madison Square Garden, staying alive in the first-round series and sending it back to the Motor City down 3-2.
In a nail-biting Game 5 that saw 18 lead changes and 16 ties, Cunningham’s late heroics – including a floater and a perfect dish setting up one of Jalen Duren’s two late dunks – made the difference. Detroit’s young core came alive, with 22-year-old Ausar Thompson scoring 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and 21-year-old Duren grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.
After a Mikal Bridges three put New York up 82-79 early in the fourth, the teams battled within a one-possession margin for over five minutes. A clutch 6-0 Detroit run broke the deadlock, and despite late threes from Bridges and OG Anunoby, Cunningham iced the game at the line.
Game 6 tips Thursday at 7:30 PM ET on TNT.