The Detroit Pistons put up one of their worst performances in recent years Monday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their sluggish effort ended with a rough final score of 116-95, dropping the Pistons back to a .500 record with a 2-2 mark. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff kept it honest with his reflection on the team's execution in the loss.
“Give them credit, they’re a good team. They’re a good defensive team. We just had a rough night tonight. We turned the ball over 26 times. It’s hard moving your offense when you’re turning the basketball over. But it’s one night – we'll be better,” Bickerstaff stated during his postgame media session.
The matchup was at a manageable spot around the first quarter, where the Pistons carried a 24-22 lead at one point. However, the game spiraled out of control after that lead was erased. Cleveland went on an 11-0 run to finish the first period and expanded that run to a 25-2 burst. Detroit was in a brutal drought as they missed 15 straight field goals and were outscored 30-17 in the second. At one point, the Pistons had more turnovers than made field goals before the period ended.
Detroit's scoring was severely stifled by the Cavaliers defensively. The Pistons were limited to a season low 38 percent shooting from the field. Another big factor was Cleveland's ability to get to the free-throw line. They finished the night making 27 of their 35 attempts and even managed to get the line 25 times before the second quarter finished.
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell had his way with the Pistons' defense in less than 30 minutes. He led all scorers with 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field. The loss came after Detroit defeated the Boston Celtics in their home-opener the night before.
Rough night for Cade Cunningham
The Pistons normally can lean on their offensive engine, Cade Cunningham, when their offense needs a lift. Unfortunately, Cunningham was held to one of the worst performances of his NBA career.
Cunningham only scored 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting in 28 minutes. He also had another tough time from beyond the arc hitting only 1-of-7 attempts against Cleveland. Even his playmaking took a hit as he turned the ball over five times and only managed to land four assists for the Pistons. Bickerstaff spoke on what he believed led to those struggles for his All-Star point guard.
“They’ve got a ton of size, and they do a great job of shrinking the floor and make you play in crowded spaces. I’ve got to do a better job of helping him (Cade Cunningham) in those situations, create more space for him in those situations. But again, we’re early in the season. We’ll continue to build from it,” Bickerstaff explained.
Cunningham entered the game on the injury report (left hip contusion, right facial contusion) that could have been a factor in slowing him down. Opponents have played Cunningham aggressive all season defensively with extra defenders and frequent blitzing to get the ball out of his hands. Cunningham and Bickerstaff have shown some frustration with officials regarding the physicality allowed on defense.
Cunningham led all Pistons scorers with his 12 points. Forwards Ron Holland and Tolu Smith were right behind finishing with 11 points of their own. Veteran Tobias Harris chipped in 10 points but was limited all game due to foul trouble throughout the matchup.
