Cade Cunningham Praises Jaylen Brown As A Class Act After Pistons Celtics Clash

The Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics 104-103 at Little Caesars Arena, and Cade Cunningham later praised Jaylen Brown, calling the Boston forward a class act after their tight contest between Eastern Conference contenders and fellow newly named NBA All-Star starters.

Cunningham welcomed the chance to test himself against Brown, noting the defensive and offensive tasks Brown accepts each night for the Celtics. Cunningham said of Brown: "To be on top of someone's scouting report offensively is impressive and then take the responsibility of guarding the other side's top [offensive player], I got a lot of respect for that. He's a class act. It's the competition I love. He's one of the better ones. "

Brown responded to the challenge with

32 points and 11 rebounds, yet missed a late shot that could have changed the result. The Celtics wing has carried greater responsibility this season after Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles injury during last season's playoff run, leaving Brown to handle extra scoring and leadership duties.

While Brown led all scorers, Detroit spread the offensive load across several players to edge the Celtics and widen the cushion over the Eastern Conference second seed. Veteran forward Tobias Harris produced 25 points for the Pistons, the team-high on the night, while Cunningham added 16 points alongside 14 assists to guide the offence.

Player	Team	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Jaylen Brown	Boston Celtics	32	11	-
Tobias Harris	Detroit Pistons	25	-	-
Cade Cunningham	Detroit Pistons	16	-	14
Jalen Duran	Detroit Pistons	18	9	-
Duncan Robinson	Detroit Pistons	15	-	-

Further help for Detroit came from Jalen Duran, who delivered 18 points and nine rebounds inside. Duncan Robinson contributed 15 points, all from three-point range, stretching the Celtics defence. Both teams entered the matchup with All-Star starters confirmed, underlining the high level of talent on the floor.

Cunningham took the court wearing the official NBA All-Star starter patch, underlining the personal milestone during a key Eastern Conference game between the Pistons and Celtics.

Cades repping the official @NBAAllStar starter jersey patch tonight pic.twitter.com/0PhvCKr43nDetroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) January 20, 2026

Among players in the Eastern Conference All-Star voting, Cunningham finished first, ahead of Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Detroit point guard stressed that the recognition reflected the whole roster. "More than anything, you want respect from your peers," Cunningham said. "Yeah, it means a lot. I think it just is a testament to the amount of success we've had as a team. I think the league has to respect that. You know, being number one team in the East, night in and night out, finding ways to get wins. "

The narrow victory over Boston, combined with Cunningham's peer recognition and Brown's heavy workload, highlighted how both franchises are shaping the Eastern Conference picture. Detroit's win extended the lead over the conference's second seed, while Brown's performance showed how the Celtics rely on the All-Star as the team manages Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury absence.