Payne helps Knicks rally past Pistons
MBB: The Murray State Hall of Famer scored 14 points in Game 1 win
Murray State Hall of Famer Cameron Payne scored 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the New York Knicks rally past Detroit, 123-112, in Game 1 of the 1st Round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Knicks trailed 91-83 going into the 4th quarter before they took the game over. New York used a 21-0 run, thanks in part of Payne knocking down a pair of three-pointers and completing an old-fashioned three-point play, to take a lead they’d never give up.
Payne finished with 14 points in 15 minutes off the bench. It was the most points he’d scored in a playoff game since Game 6 of the 2023 Western Conference semifinals when he had 31 points for Phoenix in a loss to Denver.
With his seventh team in his tenth year in the NBA, Saturday’s performance was one of the biggest of his career, especially when you look at doing it in the playoffs in Madison Square Garden. After the game, Payne talked about his emotional day.
In the regular season, Payne played 72 games with the Knicks, averaging 6.9 points in 15.1 minutes of action, while shooting 36.3% from three-point range.
Game 2 of the Best-of-7 series will be Monday at 6:30pm.
Racer still!