The Detroit Pistons were eliminated from the postseason on Thursday as they suffered a 116-113 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6. Detroit squandered an opportunity to push the series to a decisive Game 7 as they allowed the Knicks to go on an 11-1 run over the final two and a half minutes of the fourth quarter.
The last two possessions of the game were especially crucial. With the score tied at 113, Jalen Brunson crossed Ausar Thompson over and hit a three-pointer to give New York the lead with 4.3 seconds remaining.
While Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff drew up a play that got Malik Beasley open for what appeared to be an opportunity to tie the game, the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up fumbled Cade Cunningham's pass out of bounds. Following the game, the sharpshooter heaped strong praise on both himself and Thompson, stating:
"It's been us against the world, our team, and so for us to stay together, for us to build on it, I think obviously the pain hurts," Beasley stated after Thursday's Game 6 loss. (Thompson) was pissed. He is the best defender in the world. He (feels like he should have) got a stop on that last possession. I'm the best shooter in the world. I feel like I should have (gotten a shot off) on that last possession. With that being said, you can't dwell on it too much. You got to get ready for the next season. This is my favorite part of the season, the offseason. It's where I get better and I just got to stay in tune with the guys and continue to get better this whole summer."
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Beasley knocked down a career-high 319 three-pointers this season, which was also a franchise record. That mark ranked second in the league this season and was the eighth-most in NBA history. The shooting guard played in all 82 games and averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.1 blocks per game while shooting 43.0% from the field, 41.6% from three-point range and 67.9% from the free-throw line.
Despite his strong season, his production from behind the arc dipped in the postseason. Beasley averaged 14.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.5 spg and 0.2 bpg on 37.3/33.9/100 shooting splits. While Detroit was bounced in the first round, the franchise was ahead of schedule and appear to have a bright future.
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