Heroes, zeros of Game 6: Mikal Bridges came alive at perfect time

Heroes, zeros and more from the Knicks’ 116-113 Game 5 win over the Pistons on Thursday night that sent them to the Eastern Conference semifinals: Jalen Brunson put on his cape and became the hero the Knicks needed.He crossed up Ausar Thompson and drilled a game-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to give the Knicks a 116-113 lead.

He finished with 40 points. The Knicks survived a complete dud from Karl-Anthony Towns.He finished with just 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting from the field and missed his only 3-pointer.

In the fourth quarter, he missed both shots he took, recorded two turnovers and three fouls while also going 1-for-2 from the line when he had a chance to tie the game with 1:19 left. Mikal Bridges delivered his best game of the series, finishing with 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the field.His tip-in tied the game at 113-113 with 35.1 seconds left.

He also posterized Cade Cunningham in the third quarter.Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series.43-36: Margin by which the Knicks out-rebounded Detroit.After getting beat on the glass earlier in the series, they finished strong in that department the last two games. ...