Superstar Cade Cunningham delivered again in the clutch for the Detroit Pistons' 111-108 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers. The All-NBA point guard stepped up as the closer again for the Pistons to stop the 76ers' rallies in the Sunday night road matchup. 24 of Cunningham's 26 points came in the second half to solidify the Pistons' 8-2 record, their sixth straight win, and remaining first in the Eastern Conference.
The crunch time heroics of Detroit's All-Star guard have become a thrilling development this season. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff lauded the efforts of his point guard during the postgame media session.
“It's his routine. He's elite when the game is on the line. There's not many people in this league that can do things that he does. He gets to the spots that he gets to and then he finishes,” Bickerstaff explained. “He can hit you with the middy, get all the way to the rim, and make his free throws when it matters. There's just so much he does, but the unsung part is what he does for us defensively too. He's always in the right spot, he comes up with steals for us and he competes on that end too.”
Cunningham started slow with only two points and one field goal in the first half for the Pistons. Detroit found themselves down as many as 13 points in the first half until Detroit's star woke up. The Pistons keyed in defensively and defended the Sixers' threes better, which helped Cunningham get on a roll.
Philadelphia threw double and triple teams to force the ball out of Cunningham's hands as often as possible. However, the Pistons' floor general countered with some key drives and jumpers of his own. Cunningham put his stamp on the game under two minutes when he dunked on Sixers' center Andre Drummond and stunned the Philadelphia crowd. He also hit the final field goal for the Pistons with a clutch turnaround jumper with 17 seconds left in the game.
Cunningham remained active as a facilitator, dishing out 11 assists in the winning effort. This marks the sixth double-double reached by the Pistons' point guard this season.
Cade Cunningham's franchise faith
Pistons fans and the NBA world are witnessing Cunningham's breakthrough as a leader of this emerging franchise. After the historic lows of the 2023-24 season, he is leading the charge to help create a new winning legacy in Detroit.
The reward in Cunningham's development is becoming evident as the Pistons are turning into a serious threat in the Eastern Conference. The 6-foot-7 point guard was asked about how he managed to keep his faith in the franchise during the struggle he went through. He detailed how he believed the pairing of his talents and Detroit was a perfect match for him.
“My faith in myself, knowing I was going to be successful in the NBA. I was going to do whatever it took to be successful. And I got lucky and fell into a franchise and city that has the same mentality it took for me to take the next step,” Cunningham elaborated. “It's been a hell of a ride, it's been a lot of ups and downs, but it's still early. I'm not above myself because we're 8-2, but we want something bigger than this.”
Cunningham has been the catalyst for Detroit's newfound success. The Pistons shocked the NBA last season with their first playoff appearance since 2019 against the New York Knicks. After the intense first-round series, the Pistons have embraced bigger franchise hopes and are fighting for them this season.
