On Friday night, Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham delivered with a 39-point triple-double performance against the Magic, but Orlando dominated in the paint and forced a bevy of turnovers to ultimately knock Detroit out of the NBA Cup with a 112-109 Magic victory. 

Ultimately, the Pistons’ loss can be traced back to taking sloppy care of the basketball with 24 turnovers, and Detroit kept giving the Magic extra opportunities all game long. This killed the Pistons in the long run, particularly with one minute remaining in the game. At that stage, Orlando had the ball down in Detroit’s end, and the Pistons simply could not corral a defensive rebound. The Magic had three or four consecutive offensive boards, and it allowed Orlando to keep possession with the lead late in the game to wind the clock down for a three-point Pistons loss.

In the NBA Cup battle, which was quite contentious in the beginning with J.B. Bickerstaff picking up a technical foul, Cunningham scored 39 points on the night with his classic smooth, collected mid-range game in full effect. Cunningham also snagged 13 rebounds and handed out 11 assists to cap off his triple-double, and the Pistons’ All-Star had a particularly brilliant spell towards the end of the fourth quarter. 

Jalen Duren Needs To Be More Involved In Pistons Offense Pistons center Jalen Duren finished with 10 points and 16 rebounds but could have been even more influential

With Detroit trailing 100-97 late in the game, Cunningham knocked down a big momentum-shifting three-pointer to tie the contest up at 100 apiece. Shortly after, Cunningham was fouled and promptly knocked down both of his attempts from the charity strip. On the next possession, Cade linked up with Pistons center Jalen Duren for a lob slam, then the 6-6 floor general finished a tough contested lay-up the next time down the court, capping off a huge late-game push for Detroit.

“That’s who they are, and that’s why these games hurt is because they do have that resiliency,” Bickerstaff said after the game. They do care. They are committed, and they laid it all out there tonight. But just again, a few possessions here, a few plays there ended up costing us in the long run.”

One mitigating factor for the Pistons was the officiating in Friday night’s contest. Both Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart found themselves in jeopardy with five fouls each late in the game. Both players were able to avoid fouling out, but that underscores the touchy whistle that was prevalent throughout the night. 

READ MORE: Jaylen Brown Drops F-Bomb After Cade Cunningham's Missed Free Throw

Down low for the Pistons, Duren had 16 points and 12 rebounds for another productive double-double, but the Detroit big man is still not seeing enough volume. Duren only had eight shot attempts in the team’s loss, and a lack of involvement in the Pistons’ offense for JD could partly be an explanation for the squad’s struggles as of late.

Pistons forward Tobias Harris had 18 points and five rebounds on the night, and he was responsible for draining a few key shots late in the matchup. Harris was strong on defense against Franz Wagner on the night, so the longtime NBA vet acquitted himself well against Orlando.

For the Magic, it was Desmond Bane who really burned the Pistons in the NBA Cup battle. Bane posted 17 points on 13-for-25 shooting, and he dueled Cunningham for much of the night in a back-and-forth fashion. Bane also went 11-for-12 from the line to round out his efficient performance. 

With a loss to the Magic tonight, the Pistons record is pushed to 15-4 on the season. Next up, Detroit will face the Miami Heat on the road at 8 pm on Saturday, Nov. 29. 

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