Monday night's 114-106 final score for the Detroit Pistons over the Memphis Grizzlies marked their third straight win. After a competitive back-and-forth matchup, the Pistons pulled away courtesy of the late-game heroics of their All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham.
Detroit's franchise player finished the night with 33 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. However, he did his most important work in the fourth quarter, scoring 19 in the final period. Pistons' head coach J.B. Bickerstaff had plenty of praise to offer his starting point guard for the impressive performance after the game.
“He's a bad man, and that's it. When it's winning time, you've got to have a guy like that on your team, and we are extremely fortunate to have him. There's not a play that he can't make,” Bickerstaff explained. “There's the courage in his bones to take those shots and make those shots. Obviously, 19 points in a quarter to close the game out for us separated the game down the stretch. You saw just how spectacular he was tonight.”
Cunningham has been emerging as one of the most clutch performers throughout the NBA. He is averaging 12.3 points in the fourth quarter to aid the Pistons. There has been a common theme of Cunningham getting off to slow scoring starts. Detroit has managed to keep most games in striking range late, which allows its star guard to help close the deal.
Cunningham finished efficiently, hitting 12-of-20 attempts from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. He managed to stay active on the floor for 38 minutes despite playing through late foul trouble with five.
Isaiah Stewart starts for Tobias Harris
Detroit was forced to go through the contest without starting power forward Tobias Harris. The 14-year forward played through an ankle injury he encountered during their win in Mexico City agains the Dallas Mavericks. That injury kept him sidelined in Memphis as the Pistons were able to improve to 5-2 in his absence.
Backup center Isaiah Stewart started in Harris' place and was able to fill the void in tremendous fashion. Stewart finished the night with 26 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks. He maintained his same defensive intensity while also stepping up as a major contributor offensively. Stewart knocked down 9-of-18 shots from the field and even attempted eight 3-pointers as a floor-spacer for the Pistons.
Stewart was a major reason why Detroit outscored Memphis in the paint 58 to 30. The versatile efforts of Stewart helped the Pistons lead by as many as 21 points in their road matchup.
Center Jalen Duren and forward Ron Holland each scored 14 points to give the Pistons a boost. Forward Duncan Robinson added 11 points during 40 minutes of action.
Forward Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies in scoring with 21 points. Point guard Ja Morant recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists in his first game back from team suspension.
There is currently no date scheduled for Harris to return to the lineup for the Pistons. Considering he was able to return from injury against the Mavericks and continue playing gives hope that the injury is not too serious to keep him sidelined long.
