On Tuesday, the Detroit Pistons kept their season alive in a 106-103 victory in Game 5 against the New York Knicks. They’ve forced a Game 6 as they return to the Little Caesars Arena on Thursday. It was a hard-fought, physical game in which Cade Cunningham stood out. The 6-foot-6 guard had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on a not-so-efficient 35.3 percent on the floor.
The Pistons brought their A-game, especially the young players. Aside from Cunningham, Ausar Thompson also scored more than 20 points. The second-year forward had 22 points and seven rebounds. He shot 80 percent from the field, including a crucial two-pointer late in the game.
The veterans also came out to play and save their season. Tobias Harris continued his aggressive postseason run with his 17 points. Defensively, Harris was active and had a pair of steals and four blocks. Dennis Schroder came off the bench and added 14 points to the board.
After the Pistons secured the win, fans went into a frenzy on X (formerly Twitter). Here are some of what the fans said about the crucial Game 5 victory.
“All those dumbass Knicks fans paid $40,00 for tickets to see their team lose💀” a fan said.
“Why is every Knicks series a movie,” another fan commented.
“Should be 3-2 Pistons getting ready to close this thing out in 6! SMH,” one fan said.
Should be 3-2 Pistons getting ready to close this thing out in 6! SMH
— John Tedesco (@JohnnyTido) April 30, 2025
“Pistons makin’ it a series! Gotta love the intensity on the court. Let’s see if they can keep it going! 🏀🔥”
“Uh oh! Look out New York‼️”
“PISTONS WOULD BE UP 3-2 BUT REFS TRIPPING”
“Should be up 3-2 🤷🏻♂️”
Should be up 3-2 🤷🏻♂️
— zach (@ZachMacieI) April 30, 2025
“DET wins this series with a healthy Ivey and Stew”
“This should be the Pistons heading home to close it out.”
“Pistons should be up 3-2. Refs robbed them in game 4.”
Detroit Pistons veteran has high praise for Thompson
The Detroit Pistons’ Game 5 win could arguably be the best game for Thompson. With how he performed, Harris had high praise for the young forward.
“Such a humble guy. He’s always the first one in the locker room after a game to pull up film on his phone to find ways to get better … for him to have that game tonight, I’m extremely excited and happy for him,” the 6-foot-8 forward said.
Tobias on Ausar: "Such a humble guy. He’s always the first one in the locker room after a game to pull up film on his phone to find ways to get better … for him to have that game tonight, I’m extremely excited and happy for him."
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) April 30, 2025
In the first four games of the series, Thompson has averaged 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. Game 5 was the first time he scored at least 20 points. With him focused on being a reliable player on both ends, the Detroit Pistons have a chance to extend the series to seven games.
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Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
