After finishing the regular season as one of the best single-season turnarounds in NBA history, the Detroit Pistons took on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Detroit was imposing its will in the third quarter, appearing as the more physical team. But a 21-0 run from the New York Knicks quickly gave them the lead and eventually, the win.
Cade Cunningham leads the Pistons on their crusade against the Knicks. New York held Cunningham to 38% shooting and 21 points instead of the 30.8 he averaged against the Knicks in the regular season.
While Cunningham came in under his typical numbers, one player who stood out was Malik Beasley.
Beasley has had quite the season and has been an integral part of the team's success.
He finished the regular season with the second-most made three-pointers in the league with 319, but Anthony Edwards edged him out by one.
During the NBA Playoffs on Sunday, the NBA announced the finalists for the respective awards.
When it came to the Sixth Man of the Year award, Beasley was named one of the three finalists. He's beside Ty Jerome of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics.
The three finalists for the 2024-25 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award:
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 20, 2025
▪️ Malik Beasley of @DetroitPistons
▪️ Ty Jerome of @cavs
▪️ Payton Pritchard of @celtics pic.twitter.com/HeK8mQvPBQ
Other members of the Pistons were named finalists for other awards, including Cunningham for the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
The highest Beasley has ever finished in award voting was in 2019 when he was 11th in the same category.
The Pistons were a solid road team this season, finishing 29-23 compared to 22-19 at home.
It remains to be seen whether Beasley can keep up this pace, as he shot 50% from three on 12 shots. While the Knicks won Game 1, they likely won't let Beasley get as many open looks in Game 2.
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