On the second leg of a back-to-back, the Detroit Pistons proved once again that they are the class of the Eastern Conference with a tidy 120-112 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on the road, pushing the team’s winning streak to 11 games. The Pistons received a huge boost tonight with the return of Cade Cunningham, and the All-Star point guard posted his fifth straight game with at least 25 points and 10 assists. 

Coming into the matchup, the Hawks were in a particularly strong run of form with five straight wins, but Detroit was in charge for much of the contest. Jalen Duren was efficient once again with his 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting along with eight rebounds to his credit, and the Pistons center was dangerous working in the pick and roll with Cunningham, though Atlanta was switching quickly on those exchanges. 

The Pistons benefited from a strong shooting performance from both Duncan Robinson and Chaz Lanier as the former drained four shots from behind the arc and the latter added three more triples. Robinson did sprinkle in another bucket for 14 points on the night, and one of his starting teammates, Daniss Jenkins, was simply instrumental in Detroit’s victory. Opening the game alongside Cunningham in the back court, Jenkins was efficient with his 14 points, and he offered a consistent playmaking threat with seven assists on the night. 

Cade Closing The Door Late

During Tuesday night’s win, the Pistons led by as much as 19 points at one stage, but the Hawks battled back late to make it a tight finish. In the fourth quarter, Atlanta cut the Pistons’ lead to one at 99-98, but Detroit’s fearless leader proved once again why he’s looked upon as one of the most decisive closing agents in the NBA. 

With around a minute and a half remaining, Cunningham brought the ball up the left hand side, darted to the free throw line, pivoted and hit one of his signature mid-range jumpers to give the Pistons a four-point lead. After that, Detroit managed a big stop on the defensive end, and Cunningham sped down the floor in transition to convert a tough contested finish at the bucket for two more points. 

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With the game hanging in the balance, Cunningham seized control with a pair of massive baskets that helped keep Detroit in the driver’s seat heading into the final minute. From there, the Hawks were forced into a series of fouls and engaged in the free throw battle, and Duren boosted his scoring with six points from the charity stripe late in the game to seal the Pistons’ 11th consecutive win. Those were six consecutive free throws that Detroit very much needed with the outcome still in the air before Duren delivered in the clutch. 

Daniss Jenkins Proving Ability To Fit With Cade

While Detroit has proven an ability to play at a high level with two bigs on the floor, the Pistons are exploring a new lineup combination with both Cunningham and Jenkins starting in the back court. So far, the early returns are exceedingly positive as Jenkins brings a lot of components to the game that Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff covets.

With an ability to ball handle and initiate the offense, Jenkins can take the pressure off Cunningham when teams double the Pistons’ third-team All-NBA player, as they’re known to do. That automatically helps Detroit bring the ball up the floor, and it allows for Cunningham to play less high-intensity minutes on the ball. Jenkins added seven assists to Cunningham’s 10 against the Hawks, so that facet of the Pistons’ offense is working thus far.

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Over the last five games, Jenkins is averaging over 20 points and seven assists each night. Though several of those games were without Cunningham on the floor, Jenkins has shown the ability to fit into whatever role he's needed. Just as water always finds its level, Jenkins is acting as water in Detroit's offense with Cunningham back on the floor. 

In his return for the Pistons, Ausar Thompson helped fill in the gaps off the bench. Thompson played 23 minutes, which was 7th most for Detroit on the night, though he was not utilized often on offense. Thompson finished with six points, three blocks, two rebounds and one steal, so he was still effective in areas other than filling the bucket. 

Now 13-2 on the season, the Detroit Pistons have a few days off to rest. Caris LeVert, Tobias Harris, Bobi Klintman, Marcus Sasser and Jaden Ivey were unable to play tonight due to injury, so the time off could help the Pistons obtain a bit more depth before facing the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 8 pm. 

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