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No Cade Cunningham, no problem at all for the Detroit Pistons.
The starting Pistons' point guard was a late scratch against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a right ankle injury he suffered against the Cleveland Cavaliers. His absence made little difference in the 125-112 winning effort over the Sixers. The Pistons played a complete game as a team, improving to 26-26 on the season. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff gave his team plenty of credit for battling to a victory without their franchise player.
“It was going to be the collective, and that was the way we were going to win this game. When you lose a guy like Cade, there's not one guy who's going to replace him,” Bickerstaff stated. “We put in some things just in case he wasn't going to be able to play. I thought all the guys came in and really contributed, and that's what this game was going to be about.”
Detroit jumped out to a big lead by outworking the Sixers on offense and defense throughout both halves. The first half concluded with the Pistons leading 78-49. Their offensive ball movement helped them outrun Philadelphia by assisting on 21 assists on the first 26 field goals. The Pistons finished with 32 assists as a team on 44 field goals.
Bickerstaff did not provide a timetable on when Cunningham would return to the lineup. He did not go through his normal pregame warmup before tipoff. Cunningham will have an extra day of rest before the Pistons take on the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Career-high performance by Malik Beasley carries Pistons
Detroit's collective effort on offense was led by an impressive showing by guard Malik Beasley. The 28-year-old started in Cunningham's place and filled in perfectly with a career-high 36 points. Beasley shot 13-of-23 from the field and was red hot from 3, hitting 9-0f-19 attempts.
Pistons' President of Basketball Operations, Trajan Langdon, informed the media that Beasley approached him prior to the NBA trade deadline, asking him not to be traded. A big part of Langdon's plan was to add to the roster without breaking up the chemistry of the Pistons' core. Beasley validated that decision in a big way by leading all scorers on the way to Detroit's victory. Backup center Isaiah Stewart spoke during the postgame about what Beasley means to this team.
“Beas' (Malik Beasley) energy is one of one. I've never met someone with his kind of energy, and the way he goes on about basketball and the way he views the game. He loves moments like this when it's time for him to step up, and the spotlight is on him,” Stewart said. “We had a great feeling he was going to have a great game tonight, and he knocked down a lot of big-time shots. I'm happy, and I'm proud of him.”
Tobias Harris shows out against his former team
The Pistons also benefited from a huge performance from veteran forward Tobias Harris. After spending the past five seasons with Philadelphia, Harris gave the Sixers problems all night, scoring 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Detroit has been able to rely on Harris as a post-up option against smaller defenders. The 32-year-old forward had an impactful showing by scoring from mid-range and at the basket.
Detroit's frontcourt impressed as a unit to provide the needed balance. Forward Ausar Thompson played a lot of time as the primary ball-handler for the Pistons without Cunningham. He stuffed the stat sheet in an effective fashion, scoring 14 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing six assists.
Center Jalen Duren continued his momentum with another double-double, recording 13 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out. He generated lots of second-chance opportunities for the Pistons by pulling down five offensive rebounds.
