Jalen Brunson took off the hero's cape, and the Knicks remain winless in a playoff series at MSG for 26 years

he ' agonizing wait for a home playoff series win, now stretching , grew heavier after a to the in Game 5 on April 29, 2025, at . Star guard struggled, scoring 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting, including 1-for-4 from three and 7-for-10 from the free-throw line, with seven assists, four turnovers, and four fouls in 36 minutes. The Pistons, who've with four wins in five games, extended New York's 26-year close-out game drought.

Since their last home series-clinching victory on June 11, 1999, against the (90-82), the Knicks have gone , per Basketball-Reference. Honoring the late , a Knicks icon, couldn't inspire a breakthrough. Detroit's dazzled with 24 points and eight assists, while Tobias Harris added 17 points.



" ," Pistons coach said, praising their resilience. Brunson's 4-for-16 flop keeps Knicks' Playoff curse alive , the , has averaged 33.9 points in the series, but Detroit's Ausar Thompson disrupted him with 14 ball screens, .

" ," Thompson said. Brunson's four turnovers, , sealed the Knicks' fate. " " coach admitted.

The Knicks, leading the series 3-2, got 17 points and 11 rebounds from , but their 33.6% three-point shooting over the last five games, faltered. Detroit's league-leading , capitalized on New York's errors.

The Pistons' MSG dominance, including a 118-112 regular-season win on November 30, 2024, has flipped home-court expectations, with fans on X venting frustration ..