The Pistons received a huge boost from Daniss Jenkins off the bench on Sunday against the Cavs
In a game where Cade Cunningham scored 27 points, the Pistons turned to a familiar role player to help lock down a big 114-110 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon without two starters in the lineup.
In the second quarter, Detroit guard Daniss Jenkins was unguardable, lodging a perfect 7-for-7 performance from the field, which included a half dozen three-point shots, to put forth a 21-point scoring effort just before halftime. Jenkins hit every shot he took in the frame, and he was the engine behind the Pistons’ 47-point outburst in the second quarter.
Then towards the end of the game, the Pistons held a slim one-possession lead with under 30 seconds left in the game, and the Cavs had resorted to playing the numbers in a free throw shooting contest. Cleveland sent Jenkins to the charity stripe two consecutive times, and the dangerous guard who’s remarkably still on a two-way contract knocked down each of his four free throws to ice the win for the Pistons.
“That’s who he is," Cunningham said after the game. "That’s what he works on every day. We see it every day in the practice facility. We see his work ethic, so it’s no surprise that he’s coming in and making plays like that.”
Since Detroit had ruled out center Jalen Duren and power forward Tobias Harris prior to the contest, the Pistons had a shallow rotation to work with and needed a big performance from a player further down the depth chart. To make matters worse, Caris LeVert was out with an injury as well, so the Pistons were desperate for a big performance when Jenkins rose to the occasion against the Cavs on the road.
As for Cunningham, the Pistons All-Star acquitted himself well with 27 points, seven assists and six rebounds playing in Cleveland. After the game, Cade said that today’s result marked the first victory in Cleveland of his NBA career, so Cunningham was able to exercise a minor demon in the process.
Down the stretch when the Cavs were trying to extend the game in the fourth quarter, Donovan Mitchell was driving to the hoop in hopes of tying the game when Isaiah Stewart elevated for a huge block to effectively secure the win right there. Jenkins knocked down four free throws after that which were all clutch, but the numbers battle reflected positively for Detroit the whole time.
Today’s victory also marked an important moment in head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s career since it was his first victory on the Cavs’ home court after parting ways with the franchise a couple years ago. But since leading the Pistons, Bickerstaff now has the squad in first place in the Eastern Conference with a big battle over the No. 2 squad, the New York Knicks, lined up for tomorrow night.
Duren and Harris are both expected to miss the Knicks game, while LeVert’s status is still up in the air.
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