The Detroit Pistons won their first playoff game in 17 years on Monday night, and a former Celtics guard was front and center in the victory. Dennis Schroder hit a go-ahead 3-pointer for the Pistons with 55 seconds remaining, capping off a 20-point night for the reserve guard in a 100-94 Pistons victory over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The win allows Detroit to even the first round series at 1-1 with the series shifting to Michigan for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Schroder was a midseason addition for Detroit as the guard was dealt to three different teams amid a whirlwind season. Ultimately, after stops in Brooklyn, Golden State and Utah during the 2024-25 campaign, the Pistons brought aboard the veteran in exchange for KJ Martin, Josh Richardson and a 2028 second-round pick.
Schroder has provided key point guard depth behind Cade Cunningham in the last two months and earned crunch time minutes in Game 2 as the Pistons held off a late Knicks rally. The victory for Detroit was their first win since beating the Celtics in Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit had made three postseason series since then but were swept in 2009, 2016 and 2019 handily while being heavy underdogs in all those matchups. The victory snapped a 15-game playoff losing streak for Detroit, which was the longest in NBA history.
The Pistons remain underdogs in this first round series but have gained homecourt now for the remainder of the series with a pivotal Game 3 looming on Thursday night. Detroit has outplayed New York for the majority of their first two games, but a 21-0 fourth quarter run in Game 1 by the Knicks helped them rally for the victory.
A 16-4 run late in Game 2 almost led to another comeback win, but Schroder’s heroics late sealed the victory. The 6-foot-1 guard played a half season in Boston during the 2021-22 season before he was dealt away to the Rockets at the trade deadline in a deal for Daniel Theis.
Schroder has played for five different teams since that deal but has had a strong 2024-25 campaign, averaging 13.1 points and 5.4 assists per game. He’s maintained that momentum so far this postseason and will look to continue that play back in Detroit as the Pistons try to earn a potential second round matchup with the Celtics.
