Pistons forward Malik Beasley had a moment to forget on Thursday as he made a critical error at the end of his team’s season-ending Game 6 loss against the Knicks.
With Detroit down three with 4.3 seconds left, the Pistons ran a play to get Beasley their best three-point shooter – open for a game-tying shot.
But he didn’t even get a shot up as a simple pass from Cade Cunningham fumbled through his hands and went out of bounds with just 0.4 seconds left.
The Knicks then successfully inbounded the ball to earn a dramatic 116-113 win and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The massive blunder from Beasley came after he told reporters that the Pistons were the ‘mentally stronger’ team ahead of Game 6.
He also trolled the Knicks’ Mikal Bridges after Detroit’s Game 5 win in New York.
Malik Beasley made a critical error down the stretch as he failed to catch a pass
Beasley would have been wide open for a game-tying three but took his eyes off the ball
After a fan said to Beasley on X that ‘Mikal going for 44 Thursday,’ Beasley shot back with a brutal joke.
‘Minutes?’ he asked with a laughing-crying emoji.
Ultimately, Bridges got the last laugh on Thursday as he poured in an efficient 25 points in the win.
Beasley, meanwhile, had 20 but did not score in the fourth quarter.
Knicks fans did not let Beasley live down his mistake as they flooded his mentions on X after the game.
‘F***ing bum,’ one wrote.
Jalen Brunson made a game-winning three with 4.3 seconds left to send the Pistons home
‘i love when basketball karma happens,’ another said.
‘talked all that shit then sold the game,’ a third added.
Beasley’s mistake came after Jalen Brunson’s stunning game-winner seconds before, as he crossed up Ausar Thompson before nailing a three from the top of the arc.
The shot was the final make of an incredibly back and forth game, as the Knicks held a 15-point lead in the first half and the Pistons led by seven with 2:35 remaining.
Ultimately, the Knicks ripped off a 9-1 run to end the game and set up a second-round series against the Celtics.
That series will tip off on Monday in Boston.
