The New York Knicks were indebted to star man Jalen Brunson on Thursday after his match-winning 3-pointer helped his team advance from the playoff series against the Detroit Pistons.

Just 5.1 seconds were on the clock after Brunson sunk his effort, which made it 116-113 and gave the Knicks an unassailable 4-2 lead in the series. The three, meanwhile, was part of a 40-point game for Brunson.

"He's at his best when his best is needed, and he's done it all year," said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, as quoted by ESPN. "That's what makes him special."

"It's how he deals with things when he misses a shot. He comes back and shoots the next one. He may miss it, but he'll shoot the next one. It's just having that belief and confidence.

"He gets a lot of attention and gets trapped a lot. But he's obviously very clever and shifty, and can get to the spots he wants to."

His contribution here was also recognised by his team-mates.

KNICKS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/3InOVU1VFh

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 2, 2025

"Doesn't matter if he's struggling. Doesn't matter if he's hooping. You can never tell," said Mikal Bridges, who registered 25 points on the night.

"All I thought is: If he can get some separation, once he got separation, I knew it was curtains."

Brunson himself, meanwhile, admitted that he was not totally pleased with how early he launched the winning shot. He suggested, though, that he did not feel the pressure.

"If it doesn't go in, hopefully we go to overtime," he said.

The series victory sets up a meeting with defending NBA champions the Boston Celtics, which starts on Monday.

"We're playing the defending champs next time, so it's going to be a lot different," Brunson said.

"Playing this team we just played -- I'm not discrediting them at all -- but they didn't have the same experience. The Celtics have experience."