PHILADELPHIA — Cade Cunningham punched in perhaps the most impressive dunk of his career Sunday night with less than two minutes left in a back-and-forth game.
He raced down the middle of the lane and delivered a one-handed poster dunk on former Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond, making it a two-possession game and helping them clinch a close road win.
Cunningham followed with a midrange turnaround jumper with 16.9 seconds left – the final bucket in a 111-108 victory for the Pistons over the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Cunningham, who scored just two points before halftime, finished with 26 points and 11 assists to guide the Pistons (8-2) to their sixth straight win, remaining No. 1 in the Eastern Conference.
Jalen Duren added 21 points, 16 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and Duncan Robinson finished with 17 points.
The Pistons were without Isaiah Stewart, who missed his first game this season after suffering a right ankle sprain Friday against the Brooklyn Nets. Tobias Harris (ankle) missed his fourth straight game.
The Pistons will host the 76ers (6-4), who rested Joel Embiid on the second night of a back-to-back, in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.
Cade Cunningham takes over third quarter
Before icing the game late with two big buckets, and after what was likely his worst first half of the season, Cunningham finally found his groove after halftime. He scored 17 points in the third on 5-for-7 shooting, and led a 22-6 Pistons run that put them on top at the end of the third quarter, 88-85.
Cunningham had just two points on 1-for-9 shooting at halftime, struggling with Philadelphia’s aggressive blitzes and double teams. A turnaround midrange jumper early in the third quarter, his second bucket of the game, got him going. His next bucket was a 3-point play in transition, following a big block on the other end by Duren.
From there, he took over. He found Robinson in transition for a 3-pointer following a steal, lost Kelly Oubre Jr. with a spin move into a high-arching layup and then knocked down a stepback 3-pointer with 2:46 on the clock to tie the game at 81 and extend the Pistons’ run to 15-2.
After three-consecutive 30-plus point performances, he stepped up with 24 points in the second half to deliver another win for the Pistons.
Caris LeVert finding his groove
Through the first two weeks of the season, LeVert, a veteran forward and Michigan alumnus, was limited both by a hamstring injury and unfamiliarity with his new team. After playing close to 22 minutes in their season opener against the Chicago Bulls, he missed three games before returning with a four point, 1-for-5 shooting performance against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 29.
LeVert, 31, had his best game of the season in Philadelphia, knocking down timely 3-pointers to help the Pistons stay afloat amid an energetic start for the Sixers. LeVert ended the first quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, the second a couple of steps behind the 3-point line to give the Pistons the lead, 37-32. He also ended the second quarter with a pair of 3-pointers, answering an 18-7 Sixers lead to cut it to single digits shortly before halftime, 62-54.
This was after LeVert had a solid outing against the Nets with 10 points on 3-for-6 shooting. His 14 first-half points against the Sixers prevented the game from getting out of hand as Cunningham battled through a tough start.
Pistons scheduled games this week
The Pistons host three games this week: Monday night against the Washington Wizards (1-9), Wednesday night against the Bulls (6-3) and Friday night against the Sixers.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cade Cunningham scorches 76ers in 2nd half to keep Pistons atop Eastern Conference
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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