With the game hanging in the balance during the fourth quarter, Pistons star guard Cade Cunningham rose to the occasion and scored the majority of his season-high 33 points in the final stanza of Detroit’s 114-106 win on Monday night. The Pistons’ eight-point victory marked the team’s first win over the Grizzlies since May of 2021, so Cunningham was able to help Detroit end a lengthy drought in the process. 

“When it's winning time, you’ve got to have a guy like that on your team,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the win. “We are extremely fortunate to have him, because there's not a play that he can't make, and there's the courage in it.”

With a victory in the bank, the Pistons move to 5-2 on the year and are riding a three-game winning streak despite operating shorthanded (injuries) for the duration of that timespan. At the moment, Detroit sits in a tie for second place in the Central Division as the Chicago Bulls hold the top spot at 5-1.

No slow start for Detroit tonight

Unlike most Pistons games this season, Detroit took the lead early on and never looked back, holding the advantage from buzzer to buzzer. Cunningham started things off early with a lob to Jalen Duren before the dynamic guard finished a transition bucket on the very next possession to put Detroit ahead. This set the tone for a night in which the Pistons dominated the paint to a tune of 58 points to just 30 for the Grizzlies. 

Towards the end of the first quarter, the Pistons gave both Cunningham and Duren a prolonged break for about four minutes. The rest of Detroit’s unit was able to guide the team to its first lead after 12 minutes of action this season with a seven-point edge over the Grizzlies, and a lot of that success came from forcing Memphis into eight turnovers early on. 

Bickerstaff Sees ‘Domination’ From Pistons Center Jalen Duren Playing in Mexico City, Jalen Duren logged a career-high 33 points on Saturday night

Before halftime, Pistons second-year forward Ron Holland II began to assert himself more in the offensive phase. When catching the ball, Holland was looking for his shot in the second quarter, and the athletic wing repeatedly drove the baseline to wind up at the rack en route to a 14-point performance. 

Exiting halftime with a 68-58 lead, the game took a decidedly slower turn after the break. Both teams were able to set up their half-court offense more effectively, and the pace of play generally took a decline, although the Pistons were able to open up a 21-point lead at one point in the third quarter. 

But to seal the game, Cunningham knew it was his time to shine in the fourth quarter, and the Pistons All-Star lived up to his lofty billing. Cunningham was more aggressive with time waning, and the 6-6 guard showed an elite ability to get to his spot on the floor before settling on a shot. 

With one minute left in the game, Cunningham hit a huge shot to give the Pistons a six-point lead. The Grizzlies turned the ball over on the next possession courtesy of an Ausar Thompson steal, and Cunningham put the game on ice with a dagger three-pointer. Eventually, Detroit would walk away with a 114-106 victory over the Grizzlies on the night thanks to a 19-point explosion from Cunningham in the fourth. 

Apart from Cunningham’s prolific 33-point scoring effort, Isaiah Stewart was in second-place on the Pistons with 26 points and 14 rebounds in the game, making his effectiveness known on both ends of the floor. Stewart started his first regular season game of the season, and with performances like this, he may wind up in the starting lineup before long.

Next, the Detroit Pistons will face the Utah Jazz at home at 7 pm on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

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