Cunningham’s Second-Half Explosion Pushes Pistons to Sixth Consecutive Victory
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PHILADELPHIA — Cade Cunningham erupted for 24 of his 26 points after halftime, powering the Detroit Pistons to a 111-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The result stretched Detroit’s winning streak to six games and lifted the club to an 8-2 record, its best 10-game start since opening 9-1 in 2005-06.
The Pistons trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and were down at the break before Cunningham seized control. The guard poured in 17 points in the third quarter and delivered a soaring dunk over former Pistons center Andre Drummond with just under two minutes remaining to preserve the lead.
Center Jalen Duren supplied 21 points, 16 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. The 20-year-old has now topped 20 points six times this season and is averaging 19.4 points, a significant jump from last year’s 11.8. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised Duren’s rim protection, rebounding and improved on-court communication, calling his performance “dominant.”
Tyrese Maxey posted 32 points and seven assists for Philadelphia, which fell to 6-4 after playing the second night of a back-to-back. The Pistons, meanwhile, sit second in the overall NBA standings behind only the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and enter Monday with the league’s third-ranked defense.
Duren said “sky’s the limit” for Detroit if the group continues to follow Bickerstaff’s defensive blueprint. Cunningham echoed that sentiment, noting his confidence never wavered during the team’s 14-68 season two years ago. “I’m not above myself because we’re 8-2,” he said. “We want something bigger than this, so we’ll keep our heads down and keep working.”
Source: ESPN
