Through a quarter of the regular season, Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham has established himself as one of the lucky players who was born with the clutch gene. With an innate flair for the dramatics, Cunningham leads the NBA in fourth quarter scoring, and the Pistons’ All-Star showcased exactly what sets himself apart from other ball-dominant floor generals across the league.

On Monday against the Atlanta Hawks, Cunningham proved once again that he is inevitable. Whether striking in the first quarter or lurking around until a mid-range-filled fourth quarter outburst, Cunningham always delivers. And in the Pistons’ 99-98 win last night, Cunningham delivered eight of his 18 points in the final frame to help seal Detroit’s 17th victory of the season. 

“I think he's developed an understanding and a belief in the timing and rhythm of when,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “And you know, again, time and time again, he does the job when we need him to do it most. And I think he embraces that role, and he loves to do it for us.”

With Detroit’s one-point win over the Hawks, the Pistons picked up their 10th victory of the season by single digits, which is the most in the NBA. What that highlights is just how frequently the Pistons have been able to close out tight games with a slim margin for error. With Cunningham in charge, the Pistons have shown the resolve necessary to weather the storm en route to victory quite often this season, and that’s a quality which must be present on elite squads. 

Last-Second Scare: Detroit Pistons Pull Off 1-Point Win Over Atlanta Hawks Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham scored 18 points in Detroit’s narrow win

“Sometimes you’ve just got to win ugly,” Bickerstaff said. “And I think that's the tell of good teams in this league is [that] it might not be your night, but can you figure out a way to get it done? And again, tonight wasn't our night. We didn't play to the best of our abilities, but we competed hard enough to give ourselves a chance, and then we were there in the moment, and we had guys make plays for us.”

Cade Cunningham was one of those guys making plays down the stretch for the Pistons. With less than 30 seconds left, Cunningham took the ball out of bounds with Detroit in the lead, 97-95. Cunningham crossed up the pressing Hawks defender, avoided another Atlanta player with a flashy spin move then sunk an acrobatic reverse lay-up to give the Pistons a four point lead with 17 seconds left. 

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Despite a late tip-in attempt from Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson with 0.1 seconds left, the Pistons were able to ride out the nail-biting victory and moved to 17-4 on the season in the process. The Pistons are still in first place in the Eastern Conference, though the squad is currently without Duncan Robinson as the vet recovers from a sprained ankle. 

The Pistons will return to action tomorrow on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 8 pm. 

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