Cade Cunningham and the Pistons lost 123-112 to the Knicks on Saturday. Detroit was outscored 40-21 in the fourth quarter of Game 1.
On Monday evening for Game 2, Cunningham came out firing for the Pistons. He led Detroit offensively with 33 points against the Knicks. For New York, Jalen Brunson had 37. However, no other Knicks player went over 20+ points. After the 100-94 loss, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau shared his displeasure with the free-throw disparity.
The Pistons shot 15 more than the Knicks on Monday night
“If Cunningham’s driving and there’s marginal contact and he’s getting to the line, then Jalen deserves to be getting to the line. It’s really that simple”
– Coach Thibs
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24 )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 22, 2025
With the Pistons’ win on Monday, the series is tied 1-1 heading to Game 3 in Detroit. It was a concerted team effort from the Pistons in Game 2. They battled the Knicks on both sides of the ball. Detroit’s all-star PG Cade Cunningham made his presence felt early, and he never let up. Cunningham finished with 33 points and was 10-12 from the free-throw line.
As a team, the Pistons shot 34 free throws against the Knicks in Game 2. New York had just 19 free-throw attempts as a team. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned the free-throw disparity in his post-game press conference. Thibodeau mentioned how Cunningham had “marginal contact” and made it to the free-throw line. He questioned why Jalen Brunson wasn’t getting the same type of calls. Two of New York’s starters never attempted a free throw on Monday.
Tom Thibodeau said he doesn’t give a “crap” how the game is being officiated. He wants to see it called consistently. Thibodeau felt that was not the case in Game 2. The Pistons shot 15 more free throws than the Knicks on Monday. Game 3 is Thursday night in Detroit. Will the Knicks get a favorable whistle after the free-throw disparity in Game 2? Expect New York to have a bounce-back performance after a tough loss at home.
