Cade Cunningham had said he likes playing in Madison Square Garden. He wasn’t lying.

Cunningham, the All-Star Detroit Pistons guard who is inserting himself into the conversation for NBA Most Valuable Player, was stellar in a 42-point, 13-assist, 8-rebound Pistons victory Thursday, Feb. 19. And with that 126-111 win, Detroit has won all three of its matchups against the Knicks this season, giving the Pistons a massive edge in potential seeding, should the Eastern Conference tighten up.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, but New York struggled with its perimeter shots all night long.

Scroll below for a recap and highlights from Detroit’s impressive win over the Knicks Thursday night:

Pistons vs. Knicks highlights

End Q4: Pistons 126, Knicks 111

It was too much Cade Cunningham, too big a deficit on the glass and too few 3-pointers for the New York Knicks.

And with that, the Knicks have been swept in three regular season games by the No. 1-seeded Pistons (41-13), establishing a clear pattern of dominance over New York (35-21).

Cunningham played masterfully, dropping 42 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds in a complete performance that should elevate his Most Valuable Player candidacy. Cunningham was deliberate and decisive in his movements, as Cunningham went 17-of-34 from the floor, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range.

The Knicks lost the rebounding battle 53-48 and shot just 8-of-35 from beyond the arc.

Jalen Brunson led New York with 33 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

Pistons open biggest lead of game

The Knicks will lose this game if they don’t turn things around — and quickly. Detroit has opened up a 16-point lead, its biggest of the game, early in the fourth, leading to a Mike Brown timeout.

The Pistons have launched a 7-2 run to open the period.

End Q3: Pistons 90, Knicks 79

Cade Cunningham is on an absolute heater.

Cunningham, the Pistons’ All-Star guard and MVP candidate, has 35 points and 9 assists through three quarters, as he’s carrying Detroit to another solid game against the Knicks.

Cunningham has played excellently in his career against the Knicks and in Madison Square Garden and Thursday night has been no different. Cunningham, who dropped 11 points in the third, is in complete control, getting to his spots and not forcing anything. And, when New York sends extra pressure toward him, Cunningham is finding open teammates.

The Knicks, meanwhile, cooled off after a hot start to the period. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 12 points in the period, but New York has not been able to catch fire from deep. The Knicks are 4-of-25 (16%) from 3-point range.

Knicks cut it to 4 behind KAT attack

Clearly, New York adjusted at the half to get the ball in the hands of Karl-Anthony Towns, who has 8 points through the first two-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter. More importantly for the Knicks, they’ve shaved 6 points off the deficit and trail 62-58.

End Q2: Pistons 58, Knicks 48

The Pistons may be missing their top two centers, All-Star Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart (both to suspension), but they’re taking it to the Knicks.

Detroit closed the second quarter on a 7-0 run to open a 10-point lead in Madison Square Garden. The Knicks committed far too many turnovers and continued to struggle with their perimeter shooting in the second; New York has now missed 16 consecutive 3 pointers after it made its first of the game and is shooting just 6.3% from beyond the arc.

Cade Cunningham is continuing to control the offense for Detroit. He’s pushing the ball out in transition, finding his spots and dishing passes to his teammates to the tune of 24 points and 4 assists on 9-of-19 shooting.

New York, meanwhile, will need to scheme ways for Karl-Anthony Towns to become more active and engaged on offense. Towns is just 1-of-3 for 2 points with 5 rebounds. Towns is having a tough time finding his spots and at times has appeared disengaged.

Knicks 3-point shooting woes continue

New York made its first 3 pointer of the game, just seconds into the night. Since then, the Knicks have missed 14 consecutive 3s to shoot just 7.1% from beyond the arc, midway through the second quarter.

Karl-Anthony Towns with a quiet quarter

The Knicks big man has faced criticism over the past several weeks for a lack of intensity and intentional play. Towns had just 1 shot attempt in the first quarter, though he did look to distribute with two assists.

Still, for the Knicks to be elite, they will need more offensive production out of Towns.

End Q1: Pistons 28, Knicks 26

The Pistons battled back.

Detroit clamped up its defense and pestered New York into contested shots, which led to chances for Cade Cunningham to operate the offense in open space. Cunningham was the catalyst for Detroit, dropping a game-high 14 points in the first quarter on 5-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

That was the difference in the first quarter, as Detroit was able to hit its open 3s, while the Knicks struggled to find bottom on theirs; the Pistons converted 3 pointers at 40%, while New York went just 1-of-8 (12.5%) in the period.

Jalen Brunson led the way for New York with 9 points.

Late in the first, new acquisition Jeremy Sochan made his Knicks debut, after the team signed him following his buyout with the Spurs.

Knicks vs. Pistons is underway

Jalen Brunson laced his first shot post-All-Star break, a stepback 3, and the Pistons missed their first four shots of the game as we’re underway in the Garden.

Detroit has started just 1-of-8 from the field, as New York has opened an early 9-2 lead just minutes into the game.

Knicks vs. Pistons starting lineups

Detroit Pistons

• Cade Cunningham
• Duncan Robinson
• Ausar Thompson
• Tobias Harris
• Paul Reed

New York Knicks

• Jalen Brunson
• OG Anunoby
• Mikal Bridges
• Josh Hart
• Karl-Anthony Towns

Knicks vs. Pistons injury report

(Updated 5:00 p.m. ET)

Knicks: OG Anunoby (right toenail avulsion; probable), Miles McBride (pelvic, core muscle surgery; out), Pacome Dadiet (G League assignment; questionable), Trey Jemison III (G League – two-way; questionable), Dillon Jones (G League – two-way; questionable), Kevin McCullar Jr. (G League – two-way; questionable)

Pistons: Jalen Duren (league suspension; out), Isaiah Stewart (league suspension; out), Bobi Klintman (G League assignment; out), Wendell Moore Jr. (G League – two-way; out)

How to watch Pistons vs. Knicks: TV channel, live stream

• Start time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)
• TV Channel: MSG Networks
• Live stream: Amazon Prime

Pistons vs. Knicks odds

• Spread: Knicks by 4.5 (-110)
• Over/Under: 222.5 (O/U -110)
• Moneyline: Knicks -185

Knicks next five games

• Feb. 21 vs. Houston Rockets
• Feb. 22 at Chicago Bulls
• Feb. 24 at Cleveland Cavaliers
• Feb. 27 at Milwaukee Bucks
• March 1 vs. San Antonio Spurs

Pistons next five games

• Feb. 21 at Chicago Bulls
• Feb. 23 vs. San Antonio Spurs
• Feb. 25 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
• Feb. 27 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
• March 1 at Orlando Magic

Before the United States won Olympic gold on Thursday, a 12U playoff game in Minnesota needed three days, 12 overtime periods and a shootout to decide a winner.

The Cottage Grove Wolfpack managed to get the best of the St. Paul Saints during the shootout to advance in the playoffs.

“It was pretty intense,” Cottage Grove coach Brian Deering told USA Today. “It went on for three days, and the kids showed up ready to play every time. It was pretty bizarre with how to plan for it but it was fun to be a part of.”

The game was tied at 1 following three 15-minute regular periods on Monday, Feb. 16. The two teams played six 10-minute overtime periods the day the game started but it remained tied.

The decision was made for the two teams to return to the ice on Tuesday to finish out the game. 

“I just reminded them that it’s hockey and it’s the same game we’ve played all year,” Deering said. “They were nervous and scared because they didn’t want to let each other down. 

“I just tried to keep it light-hearted as much as possible. We just reminded them to keep it simple and not to do anything too big.”

St. Paul co-head coach John Weiberg told ESPN that after the first three periods played on Tuesday, Feb. 17, the ice needed to be resurfaced with a Zamboni, causing another delay in the action. 

The game reached a 10th overtime, but the game still wasn’t decided.

St. Paul and Cottage Grove were unable to finish the game on Tuesday night because another game was already scheduled and waiting to take place. That forced another pickup on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

With the next round of the playoffs already scheduled to take place on Thursday, a winner had to be decided. Decisions were made and that led to a shakeup in how the game was to be determined.

The 11th overtime took place with the traditional 5-on-5 format but changed to a 3-on-3 format, in a similar fashion to the Olympics’ gold medal game and the NHL regular season, for the 12th period.

It was decided that it was best that the game go to a shootout after the game was still tied after the 12th overtime session.

“I think going through the experience that they did bonded them,” Deering said. “It’s not something you can really coach. They lived through that and experienced that. They started playing for each other.”

According to WSOC, the collision happened when Ball’s vehicle — driving west on Trade Street — attempted to make a left turn onto Tryon Street and crashed into the gray Kia, which was going east on Trade.

One person had minor injuries, and witnesses reportedly saw Ball hop out of the Hummer and into a Lamborghini.

Footage and photos of the incident can be seen below:

The men’s ice hockey playoffs at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are heating up.

The quarterfinals saw three overtime thrillers on Wednesday — tournament-favorite Canada rallied to avoid an upset by Czechia, Finland outlasted Switzerland and the United States survived a late comeback by Sweden. Slovakia, meanwhile, breezed through its quarterfinal matchup against Germany in a 6-2 rout.

The 2026 Winter Games are down to the last few days, but they’re doing anything but winding down. Here is the full bracket for the men’s ice hockey semifinals and finals:

2026 Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey bracket

Here is the full schedule for the men’s ice hockey semifinals and finals this weekend:

Semifinals: Friday, Feb. 20

• Canada vs. Finland, 10:40 a.m. ET | Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena | USA Network, Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
• USA vs. Slovakia, 3:10 p.m. ET | Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com

Bronze medal game: Saturday, Feb. 21

• TBD vs. TBD, 2:30 p.m. ET | Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena | USA Network, Peacock, NBCOlympics.com

Gold medal game: Sunday, Feb. 22

• TBD vs. TBD, 8:10 a.m. ET | Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena | NBC, Peacock, NBCOlympics.com

Scores for quarterfinals, first round

First round scores

• Switzerland 3, Italy 0
• Germany 5, France 1
• Czechia 3, Denmark 2
• Sweden 5, Latvia 1

Quarterfinals scores

• Slovakia 6, Germany 2
• Canada 4, Czechia 3 (OT)
• Finland 3, Switzerland 2 (OT)
• USA 2, Sweden 1 (OT)

• Mikaela Shiffrin won her first Olympic gold medal since the death of her father in 2020.
• Shiffrin won the women’s slalom by a 1.50-second margin, the largest in any Olympic Alpine event since 1998.
• After crossing the finish line, Shiffrin took a moment of silence to honor her late father.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Mikaela Shiffrin wanted to win Olympic gold in women’s slalom as much as she feared it.

‘Everything in life that you do after you lose someone you love is like a new experience,’ Shiffrin said. ‘It’s like being born again.’

A feeling she’s resisted every day since her father Jeff died on Feb. 2, 2020. A feeling she embraced at the bottom of la Olimpia delle Tofane Wednesday afternoon, Olympic champion once more.

After she crossed the finish line, 1.50 seconds ahead of the next closest skier — an eternity in the sport — she dropped her chest to her knees and her head in her lap. Gliding along the smooth snow at the bottom of the track in silence. Awkward, perhaps, to the average onlooker. But not to Shiffrin. This was her first Olympic gold medal without her dad there to witness it. And she was going to take the moment to sit in silence with him.

‘Maybe he doesn’t have to specifically answer,’ she said, reflecting on the last six years, ‘Which is hard. But it’s OK.’

Shiffrin used to resent people who said their departed loved ones were with them in big moments. Carrying them through the day. Anchoring them with their spiritual presence.

‘Where? The (expletive)?’ she’d think to herself, frustrated beyond comprehension. ‘… Why do you get to feel that way?’

Shiffrin’s mother Eileen didn’t think her daughter would ever ski again after Jeff fell off the roof of their family home. She heard his heart stop beating in the hospital. She struggled to get out of bed, eat or drink. She lost weight.

She battled between a refusal to accept a life without her dad and a desire to stick around for ski racing. Something she loved to do. And something she was great at. Her grief compounded with traumatic injuries — to her own body as well as her fiancé Norwegian skier Aleks Aamodt Kilde — to create what she described as ‘a perfect-storm situation for PTSD to take hold.’

Treatment has been an ongoing process. Lots of self-reflection. Lots of manifesting. Lots of loud, positive self-talk.

Redemption defined the buzz around Shiffrin heading into the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games. Could the most accomplished skier of all time end an 0-for-6 Olympic medal drought here? She blew the first event, women’s team combined, by squandering speed skier Breezy Johnson’s lead in the downhill with the 15th slowest slalom in the field of 18. They finished fourth — 0.06 seconds off the podium.

‘There will always be criticism,’ Shiffrin said Wednesday, reflecting on the overwhelming narrative after her fourth-place finish that Cortina may just be Beijing all over again. ‘But I am here to earn the moment.’

Shiffrin wasn’t a medal favorite in her next race: Giant slalom. She finished third in her last GS before the Olympics, but it was her first podium in the event in two years. She hasn’t won a GS since December 2023. A devastating crash during the event 15 months ago left her with an abdominal puncture wound.

Feeling good rounding curves bodes well for slalom skiing, which means a shorter course with quicker turns. And sure enough, she obliterated the competition Wednesday. Her 1.50-second margin of victory was the largest in any Olympic Alpine skiing event since 1998. It was one one-hundredth slower than the combined margin of victory from every women’s Olympic slalom race from Nagano to Beijing.

She looked over at the big screen for her time, unable to read it for a moment, which isn’t unusual. Green means good, but sometimes it’s hard to believe. This was one of those times.

‘Wait, are we sure?’ she thought. ‘Because it would be embarrassing to celebrate and have that not be real.’

Oh, we’re sure. More than sure. She won Olympic gold. By a lot.

That’s when Shiffrin communed with her dad, whom she could finally accept was really gone.

Before stepping up to accept her medal, Shiffrin kissed her fingertips, pressed them into the snow.

‘I don’t want to be in life without my dad,’ she said after ceremony. ‘And maybe today was the first time that I could actually accept this like reality, and instead of thinking I would be going in this moment without him, to take the moment to be silent with him.’

Reach USA TODAY Network sports reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com, and follow her on X @petitus25.