A strong game from Cade Cunningham — and an all-around hot offensive performance for the Detroit Pistons — led to a decisive home win over the Sacramento Kings.
The Pistons trounced the Kings at Little Caesars Arena, 139-116, led by Cunningham’s 29 points, 11 assists, three steals and a block on 13-for-22 (59.1%) shooting. It was Cunningham’s best game in two weeks, as he has nursed a wrist injury.
Six other Pistons scored in double figures: Jalen Duren (18 points, six rebounds and two steals), Tobias Harris (16 points), Duncan Robinson (13 points), Ron Holland and Jaden Ivey (11 points each) and Daniss Jenkins added 10 points and five assists.
The Pistons took control of the game with a 26-8 run that started toward the end of the first quarter, flipping a seven-point deficit into an 11-point lead. It was one of the Pistons’ best games shooting, at 54.9% overall, 51.6% from 3 (16-for-3) and 81.5% at the free throw line. Their 139 points were their second-highest total of the season, behind only a 142-poitn effort against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 12.
Detroit Pistons playoff position
The win put the 32-12 Pistons 5½ games up on the Boston Celtics in the East; Detroit clinched the conference’s best record before the All-Star cutout with the Celtics’ loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. The Pistons are also 7½ games up in the Central Division, ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Next up, the Pistons head west for a trio of games, starting Tuesday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit) against the Denver Nuggers.
Cunningham bounces back while dealing with wrist injury
Cunningham missed two games with a right wrist contusion on Jan. 7 and 10, and his wrist has still been bothering him since returning. He wore a brace on it, and the discomfort was reflected in his stats, as he shot 30% from the floor and 11.1% from 3 (2-for-18) in his four games leading up to Sunday.
He was listed as probable on Sunday and looked against the Kings as though the worst of the injury was behind him. Cunningham led the Pistons with 19 points and eight assists in the first half, knocking down 52.9% of his shots (9-for-17). Twelve of those points came during the second quarter, which the Pistons won 43-30.
Cunningham closed his first-half stretch with back-to-back jumpers to extend the Pistons’ lead to 13 at halftime, 78-65. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Cunningham in the third quarter extended their lead to 21, 99-78, at the 5:25 mark.
His 29 points marked his highest total since he scored 29 in a win over the New York Knicks on Jan. 5. It also was a strong game for him defensively, with three steals in a game where five Pistons had at least two each.
Pistons’ offense explodes after cold month
Defensively, no team has been better than the Pistons in January. Their defensive rating of 101.1 this month has far and away been the best, with three teams tied for second at 108.1 entering Sunday.
But their defensive dominance has been offset by an offensive slump. Their offensive rating in January is 109.9, which ranks 26th and is well below their season mark of 115.6. No one stat easily explains the slump — their turnovers have spiked but they’ve been average shooting from the arc and at the line. Due to their defense, they’ve had their share of low-scoring games.
Sunday broke the slump, with the Pistons putting together one of their hottest offensive performances of the season. Their 16 made 3-pointers fell two short of their season-high of 18. They shot above 50% from the floor for only the second time this month.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cade Cunningham unloads for Detroit Pistons in rout of Kings
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
