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Langdon’s words, which were told to Cunningham directly during his exit meeting before the executive discussed the matter with the media, should not be seen as an indictment of the Pistons’ point guard. He played in a career-high 70 games in 2024-25, leading Detroit to its first postseason appearance since 2019. Expectations will rise for Cunningham and the Pistons, meaning he has to be even better in the future. “The big thing for him, and we talked to him about it, get into elite shape,” Langdon said, according to the Detroit News. “He is incredibly skilled and talented. He understands the leadership of it. He now has a little bit of late-season and playoff experience, he knows how it feels. So, now, he has an understanding of what he is training for in the summer. If you have never experienced playoff basketball, you don’t understand the level you have to go to. He should be training for the first and second rounds of the playoffs. Not just Game 45 (of the regular season) anymore.” Entering this season with a Yahoo! ADP of 27, Cunningham was a top-10 player in eight-cat formats. He’ll likely come off the board during the second round of standard league drafts, which is reasonable for a player of his caliber.

Beasley provided a spark in the first half as he came off the bench and made six threes. Five of his threes came in the second quarter, which the Pistons won by 16. Beasley’s biggest shot was a buzzer-beater before the end of the first half, which gave the Pistons as two-point lead. With the Pistons down three at the end of the fourth quarter, Beasley couldn’t corral a pass from Cade Cunningham, resulting in a turnover and sealing the win for the Knicks. The 28-year-old shooting guard is set to hit free agency this offseason, but Beasley has expressed interest in staying with the Pistons and an agreement on a contract that makes sense for both sides wouldn’t be surprising.

While Cunningham led the Pistons in scoring with 23 points, he didn’t have his best game offensively in what was a must-win game for the Pistons. He was more successful on drives to the basket, while his three-point shooting left much to be desired. Only Malik Beasley had more than one three-pointer for Detroit, with Cunningham missing all eight of his three-point attempts. It was a frustrating end to what was ultimately an inspiring season from both Cunningham and the Pistons as a team.

Stewart appeared at Pistons shootaround Thursday afternoon, his first basketball activity since leaving Game 1 against the Knicks with a knee injury. Still, the 23-year-old center isn’t available for Game 6 as he’s set to miss his fifth game in a row. The Pistons are in a must-win situation Thursday and will have to roll with Paul Reed again as the backup center to Jalen Duren.

Stewart has missed Detroit’s last four games but could return for the final game in Detroit of this series. The Pistons must win to stay alive, but that wasn’t enough of a factor for Stewart to play through the injury in Game 5. If he remains out, Paul Reed will continue to fill out the backup center minutes.

Harris has been the Pistons’ best defensive matchup for Knicks big Karl-Anthony Towns, even on nights when KAT goes off. Tobias was outstanding defensively in Game 5, with the six “stocks” being the most he’s recorded in a game this series, and Towns shot 5-of-14 from the field. The veteran Pistons forward was also solid offensively, stepping up in a big way to extend the series to Game 6. Detroit will host the Knicks on Thursday night, and Little Caesars Arena is expected to be electric.

For the first time in this series, Thompson managed to make the Knicks pay for their willingness to leave him alone offensively. The second-year wing took full advantage of the dunker spot in Game 5, with either Cade Cunningham or Jalen Duren (9/14/6/0/2 in 33 minutes) finding him for layups or dunks. Thompson did not shoot well from the foul line, but the improved offensive production made it easier for Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff to leave him on the court in crunch time. Detroit will need a similar effort from Thompson in Game 6 on Thursday if they’re to force a decisive seventh game.

Cunningham did not have the most efficient night, shooting well below 50 percent from the field and committing five turnovers. However, he made frequent visits to the foul line to boost the point total, and the Pistons’ improved ball control overall factored into their win on Tuesday. Cunningham still recorded a complete stat line, but he has committed at least five turnovers in all five games of the series. Thanks to their victory, the Pistons get another chance to face the Knicks at home, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday night.

Stewart has not appeared in a game since the series opener on April 19 due to an inflamed right knee. Beef Stew is left to hope his teammates can force a Game 6 as they go into Tuesday trailing by three games to one. Paul Reed will continue to serve as Jalen Duren’s backup, but he’s unlikely to surpass 15 minutes in that role.

Stewart logged 19 minutes in Game 1 and has missed the last three games of the first-round series with New York. Should Stewart miss Game 5, Paul Reed should continue to pick up additional minutes in his absence.