One day after Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was named head coach of the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, Detroit played host to a matinee matchup with the Sacramento Kings on Sunday afternoon, but the Pistons flipped the script with no notice. 

Usually a defensive-led squad, the Pistons put together one of their highest-scoring efforts of the season, putting up 78 points by halftime en route to an eventual 139-116 victory over the Kings. Even more importantly, Detroit guard Cade Cunningham looked every bit the All-Star guard and MVP candidate that he’s turned into this season with 29 points, 11 assists and five rebounds on the night. 

“We picked up our defense and were able to use our pace, find gaps in the defense, get our bigs involved and make the right basketball play,” Pistons forward Tobias Harris said at halftime. “We did a good job of that, but we’ve got to keep it going and take our defense up another notch.”

Cunningham had been working his way back from a wrist injury while managing an illness in the middle of that recovery, so the 6-6 Oklahoma State product hadn’t been performing up to his own standards as of late. But against the Kings, Cunningham was feeling it from the opening tip-off with a 19-point effort in the first half. 

Often matched up with former teammate Dennis Schroder, the Detroit All-Star starter put his familiar opponent through the spin cycle on multiple occasions during the game. Cunningham has a smooth, crafty nature about his game, especially considering how he navigates the floor in the half-court offense, and Cade methodically broke down the Kings’ defense for a strong performance at home. 

With the game comfortably in hand by the fourth quarter, Bickerstaff opted to sit Cunningham for a long stretch to begin the final frame, likely a combination of the Pistons’ lead mixed with Cade’s recent return to full health. Cunningham did reenter the game and worked to guide the Pistons to their 33rd win of the regular season. 

From a shooting perspective, the Pistons put together one of their premier efforts in terms of knocking shots from behind the arc. Shooting above 50% as a team, the Pistons connected on _ long-range baskets in what was a full team effort with four Detroit bench players reaching double-figures. 

The Pistons were led by Duncan Robinson’s four triples, and the contingent of Cunningham, Harris and Jaden Ivey were responsible for three long-range shots themselves in the comfortable double-digit victory. 

With five minutes left in the game, Ron Holland and Nique Clifford were entangled in a physical dust-up after a Pistons’ defensive play, and Holland two-hand shoved the Kings guard to the floor in one fail swoop. Holland was promptly ejected from the game upon review, and that play underpinned a physical intensity that had been building all game long.

Earlier in the matchup, Cade Cunningham and Dennis Schroder were going at it, trading a few verbal barbs between the former teammates. Schroder also baited Isaiah Stewart into picking up a technical foul earlier in the game, so there was no love lost between the two teams on Sunday night. 

Moving forward, the Pistons have a day off before traveling to Denver for a 9 pm matchup with the Denver Nuggets. 

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