The Detroit Pistons played great basketball throughout the night, but the Charlotte Hornets just kept hanging around. The Pistons were shooting better than 60% from the floor and 50% from three, and yet a Dennis Schroder layup made it a two-possession game with just under five minutes left in the second quarter. Then Cade Cunningham took over, then the Detroit Pistons took over, and suddenly a squeaker turned into a 124-91 Detroit win.
In that decisive 45-16 run, Cade Cunningham scored 14 points,
and he did it in under three and a half minutes of game time. One of the league’s best players finally had his first superstar quarter of the season, scoring 17 points and notching three assists in total in that decisive third frame. He finished the night with 33 points, seven assists, and five steals. In those magical few minutes, he was everywhere in his bag. Patient mid-range pull-ups, slicing through the D for layups, catch-and-shoot threes. He went to the bench with 1:17 left in the third quarter, and you were left thinking he might hit 50 in the fourth. But he never needed to come back in the game again.
He saw the game was getting too close, and he decided to do something about it. He put the team on his back and said, “We’re playing too well to not blow these guys out.”
But the true blowout wouldn’t have happened without all the other contributions up and down the lineup. The Pistons really have something on offense this season, and while the range of ball handlers and actions can lead to some self-inflicted wounds, it is designed to open up this offense and let it breathe. And, boy, did they take a big gulping breath versus the Hornets.
The Pistons shot 57% from the floor and 48% from deep, and that was dragged down a bit as a consequence of some extended garbage time. The Pistons also kept their defense in top form. They forced 25 Charlotte turnovers, and that led to 27 fast-break points.
Detroit was led by Cade, but Duncan Robinson continues to be lights out this season. He shot 6-of-9 from deep on his way to 24 points. His stroke was immediate and effortless. He’s truly in the zone. Some of that shooting magic might be rubbing off on Kevin Huerter. The one-time bucket has struggled from deep for a few seasons now, including his short stint after a mid-season trade to Detroit last season. But he hit three threes tonight and is now shooting 38% from deep for the season. Even Ron Holland canned three threes tonight. Not to be overlooked is Ausar Thompson’s expanded role in the offense.
It’s not always perfect, but Thompson is getting more comfortable making decisions with the ball in his hands, and he’s understanding how to make defense pay by using his strength and burst to get something close to the basket. Thompson was 5-of-7 from the floor for 14 points, and he added six rebounds and four assists.
The Pistons had plenty of lopsided runs last season in their sprint to 60 wins. But those were driven by a defense that would suffocate you and an offense that could do just enough. Last year, the Pistons could go on a 27-2 run over the course of 17 minutes of game action. Tonight, they went on the same run in just over eight minutes.
Detroit’s defense remains the best in the league. Its offense is starting to catch up. That’s bad news for everyone else in the NBA.
