The Detroit Pistons were mired by foul trouble all game long, but they successfully battled the whistle and the Trail Blazers for a big 110-102 win on the road without their general, Cade Cunningham, for the most crucial moments of the contest.

In the fourth quarter, the Pistons held a slim six-point lead with 8:32 left in the game and were beginning to set up their offense in the half court. Cunningham pushed off Sidy Cissoko when receiving the ball, and the refs called Cade for his decisive sixth foul, ending his night abruptly. 

Still, Cunningham was productive with 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds, but it was not the type of output that the Detroit All-Star usually delivers, and it handcuffed the Pistons down the stretch without their key playmaker and ball handler. 

But despite that setback, the Pistons relied on Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Caris LeVert, Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson down the stretch. That lineup played the bulk of Detroit’s minutes to seal up what was a sweaty eight-point win. 

Duren had his predictably efficient night with 26 points on 11-for-15 from the field and 10 rebounds to complement that scoring production. Duren was a menace in the paint and fought hard for several rebounds, outmuscling Donovan Clingan throughout the night. 

“I just wanted to give my team a boost, whatever we needed,” Duren said after the game. “I was in foul trouble too in the first half, so I knew I had to come out and be aggressive and set the tone in the second half, so I just had to do that.”

Duren did not lead the Pistons in rebounds for the game, though, and that honor would belong to Thompson, who battled substantial foul trouble himself all night long. From the moment the game started, Thompson guarded Deni Avdija, and it appeared that the Pistons were planning to attack the talented scorer differently after he dropped 30+ points against Detroit three weeks ago.

So, Avdija went to his bread and butter of dribble-drives to the hoop, and he drew three fouls on Thompson within the first four minutes of the game, effectively neutralizing Ausar’s impact in the first half. So, Thompson did hit the bench for a while, but Bickerstaff trusted him to come back, and it’s important that he did so because Thompson played an integral role in Detroit’s win.

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With Cunningham out late in the fourth quarter, Thompson initiated the offense consistently and helped make plays for the Pistons to secure the single-digit win. Thompson also grabbed a team-high 12 boards to go along with 18 points and three steals, so he made sure to impact the game in several facets, which has become a calling card of the dynamic point forward. 

Now that the Pistons have started their West coast road swing on a positive note, Detroit moves to 23-6 on the season and maintains the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons have another game tomorrow night against the Sacramento Kings at 10 pm. 

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