The Detroit Pistons received some much-needed assistance Wednesday in the return of point guard Cade Cunningham against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Detroit's franchise player had been inactive for the past two games due to lingering knee injury management, which has been an issue since January. Unfortunately, Cunningham's returning performance wasn't enough for Detroit to pull off an upset in a 106-91 loss.
Cunningham came out like he was still in rhythm and hadn't missed any time. He opened the game by scoring 15 points in the first half, keeping the score close with a Western Conference powerhouse. He finished the game with 32 points on efficient 11-of-23 shooting, including 3-of-8 from deep.
Detroit's record dropped to 12-61 after the losing effort to Minnesota. The media asked Cunningham about his health and confidence in the postgame presser.
“I was excited to come back and try to help the team win. I just wanted to play hard,” he said, per Bally Sports Detroit. “They got me a lot of good shots. Bigs set great screens so they made it easy on me as far as me coming back. But, my confidence is in the same place it's always been.”
We hear from Cade Cunningham, who scored a team-high 32 points in the Pistons' 106-91 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.#DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/4IXzONV5NZ
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) March 28, 2024
Jalen Duren returns, Jaden Ivey sits
Another returning player from injury for the Pistons was center Jalen Duren. He had been unavailable since being ruled out last Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans due to lower back spasms. Duren put up 11 points while grabbing 11 rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
Duren has missed a total of 18 games due to numerous injuries this season. Detroit has been leaning on backups in James Wiseman and Chimezie Metu amid Duren's absence. The Pistons rely so heavily on Duren as the primary pick-and-roll partner with Cunningham. So much of Detroit's offense is predicated on their depth, and it has dealt with growing pains as Cunningham and Duren have spent lots of time recovering from injuries in 2023-24.
While Duren and Cunningham returned, Detroit went through the matchup without guard Jaden Ivey due to knee soreness. He went through a pregame shootaround and was ruled out by the medical team shortly thereafter. The Pistons' wing depth has been limited all season courtesy of injuries.
Historic infamy around the corner?
Detroit currently owns the worst record in the NBA. Not only are they threatening to finish the season at the very bottom of the league, they are still close to cracking their franchise-worst record of 16-66 set in 1979-80.
The Pistons only have nine games left to close out the 2023-24 regular season. Seven of the remaining games are on the road and only two will be at home. After tying the longest losing streak in NBA history with 28 games earlier this season, the Pistons are in danger of repeating more suffering if they end up breaking this dreaded franchise low.
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