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The much-anticipated return of All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham finally arrived for the Detroit Pistons against the Memphis Grizzlies. Unfortunately, it was not enough, as the Pistons fell short against the Grizzlies with a final score of 109-103.
Cunningham has been inactive for the past six games due to a leg contusion. Saturday night's contest was his first game back after he took time to heal the injury. Cunningham knocked off some of the rust by dropping 25 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff briefly commented on the return of his star guard during the postgame media session.
“Obviously, we didn't want to overexert him,” Bickerstaff explained. “We wanted to give him an opportunity to get his legs under him and try to catch his rhythm, and I thought he did a good job.”
Cunningham played just under 28 minutes after he's been averaging about 35 all season. After clinching a playoff spot on Friday, Bickerstaff is working Cunningham back into the lineup and game shape.
Memphis pushed the Pistons to the limit with a dominant performance by shooting guard Desmond Bane. Bane led all scorers with 38 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the field. Grizzlies' All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. also made his presence felt against the Pistons with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
Forward Ausar Thompson continued his recent aggression offensively by scoring 18 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Bickerstaff spoke on the development of Thompson's offense and how it impacted the game to the media.
“I think he does a great job of pushing the ball in transition. He's elite at finding creases and then has the ability to split those creases and be physical enough to get to the rim,” Bickerstaff stated. “And then he's drawing fouls too and making his free throws at a decent rate for us. He's starting to understand how to get his and how it helps the rest of the team. He's a great passer, so when he gets to the paint, if they want to bring help he has the ability to make those plays also.”
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Isaiah Stewart returned while Jalen Duren was inactive
The Pistons have been dealing with a lot of changes in their roster availability over the past couple of weeks. Backup center Isaiah Stewart returned from his two-game suspension after the altercation with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He stepped in for a bigger role against the Grizzlies as the Pistons were forced to adjust due to an injured starter.
Detroit approached the matchup without starting center Jalen Duren due to a right peroneal contusion. Stewart filled in as the starter along as Bickerstaff was forced to shuffle the lineup.
Duren's absence played a major factor as the Pistons struggled on the glass without their best rebounder. Memphis out-rebounded Detroit by grabbing 64 rebounds compared to only 44 for the Pistons. The Grizzlies put up 23 second-chance points in the process while pulling down 17 offensive rebounds. Bickerstaff was vocal about how that turned the tide of the game when discussing that issue with the media.
“That was the game. We have to be able to rebound the ball better. We were great in transition as usual tonight, but their size and their length in the paint kind of got the best of us tonight,” Bickerstaff explained.
