Jalen Brunson game-winner: Star guard sends Knicks to second round with clutch 3-pointer vs. Pistons

Jalen Brunson is a different animal in the playoffs.

The Knicks star sent his squad to the second round on Thursday, making a nasty move on Ausar Thompson and hitting a 3-pointer to seal a 116-113 win over the Pistons.

New York nearly saw the series-clinching Game 6 slip away in the fourth quarter, but Brunson's heroics capped the first-round matchup against Detroit.

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Here's a look at Brunson's clean game-winner to send the Pistons home, plus a look at his postseason numbers so far.

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Jalen Brunson game-winner vs. Pistons

After taking a 37-23 into the second quarter in Game 6, the Knicks allowed the Pistons to get right back in an elimination game at home. Detroit went on an 18-2 run in the fourth quarter behind Thompson's defensive dominance and buckets from Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Malik Beasley.

New York regrouped and tied the game at 113 with 35.1 seconds remaining thanks to a tip shot from Mikal Bridges, who finished with 25 points. Cunningham missed a shot to give Detroit the lead, providing the Knicks with a chance to win it — and with Karl-Anthony Towns having fouled out already, there was no secret about who was going to get the ball.

Brunson, who finished with over 30 points for the fifth time in the first-round series, got the ball at the top of the floor. He drew Thompson, Detroit's top defender who had blocked his jump shot just minutes earlier, but it didn't matter.

He hit a clean crossover, completely losing Thompson in the process, then got closer to the 3-point line and took his shot, connecting to give the Knicks a three-point advantage.

JALEN BRUNSON ENDS THE PISTONS’ SEASON 😳 pic.twitter.com/AofB12tk9U

Here's another look:

With 4.1 seconds remaining, the Pistons took a timeout and had an opportunity to tie, but Malik Beasley had the ball tip off his fingers and out of bounds, sealing the game. 

Beasley would've had a decent look at the tie pic.twitter.com/LyoUklXGEz

For Brunson, the clutch shot was yet another chapter in his growing playoff legend. With both the Mavericks and Knicks, he's consistently stepped up to the stage; in each of the past two seasons, Brunson has fueled first-round series wins for New York. In 2022, he played a major role in Dallas' run to the Western Conference Finals.

Brunson, who won the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year award this season, also battled nagging ankle injuries throughout the series against Detroit, subbing out of multiple games with concern for his right ankle. He wound up being good to go for Game 6, sending New York to the second round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

Who do the Knicks play next?

New York is now set for a second-round matchup against the Celtics, who went 61-21 in the regular season as the defending NBA champions.

Boston went 4-0 against New York this season, dominating the matchup.

Jalen Brunson stats today

Here's a full look at Brunson's stats in Game 6 vs. Detroit:

• Points: 40
• Rebounds: 7
• Assists: 4
• Steals: 0
• Blocks: 0
• Turnovers: 2
• Fouls: 2
• FG: 15-33
• 3P: 3-10
• FT: 7-8