The Detroit Pistons kept their playoff hopes alive on Tuesday night, scoring a 106-103 win over the New York Knicks and bringing their current series record to 2-3.
They have a way to go, but they are clearly still in this fight.
Following his team’s win, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff gave special credit to one of his stars and all he accomplished during the game.
“It all started with Ausar and his defense. He was phenomenal defensively tonight. A lot of credit should be given to him,” Bickerstaff said.​
Ausar Thompson had a monster game, and the Pistons would not have enjoyed victory without him.
He posted 22 points and seven rebounds in the game, but it was his defense that got a lot of attention because he was able to limit the explosiveness of New York’s offense.
Take Jalen Brunson, for example, who was recently named the league’s Clutch Player of the Year.
Throughout this series, he has had incredible fourth quarters that have allowed his team to win.
But on Tuesday, Brunson was minimized and wasn’t able to have the sort of impact he wanted.
Bickerstaff and many Detroit fans believe that Thompson was a huge part of that lack of impact from Brunson.
Even Brunson admitted that was the case and said his team will now have to figure out how to get past Thompson for the next game.
The Pistons are still alive and looking to build upon the momentum they seized in Game 5.
The series will return to Detroit, and the Pistons will attempt to copy the game plan that secured them success on Tuesday.
If Thompson keeps defending like he did, the Knicks could be in serious trouble.
NEXT: Josh Hart Has Honest Admission About Controversial No-Call Against Pistons
