Pistons' Cade Cunningham gives veterans their flowers after defeating Heat
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The NBA Cup In-Season Tournament got off to a victorious start for the Detroit Pistons after they beat the Miami Heat in overtime 123-121. Tuesday night’s victory improved their regular season record to 5-7 along with an undefeated 1-0 tournament record.
Detroit got a late helping hand from Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra, who called for an unavailable timeout, which cost them a technical foul. The blunder came after the Pistons tied the game at 121 when point guard Cade Cunningham hit center Jalen Duren with a long alley-oop dunk inbounded from the sideline.
The Pistons have managed through several late-game situations this regular season. Their latest victory was the most recent example where the team leaned on the newly acquired veterans to help seal the win. Cunningham gave them a lot of credit in the postgame media session after the game.
“Credit to our vets, they've helped us out a lot with that. They've been in a lot of different situations, they've seen a lot of different stuff,” Cunningham explained. “They keep us composed, they talk to us in those situations a lot.”
Detroit’s young core continues to show they are learning what winning basketball means and how to close games. They let go of an 18-point lead from the first half and committed eleven fourth-quarter turnovers to give Miami life. The Pistons even managed to survive a 40-point performance from Heat guard Tyler Herro, who knocked down clutch shots in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The veterans have played a major role in helping the team in late-game situational basketball. Guard Malik Beasley tied the game at 119 with a crucial three for the Pistons. He also did the dirty work by setting the back screen for Duren to get open for the game-tying alley-oop dunk.
Seven different players finished with double-digit points in the victory. Beasley finished the night with 21 points off the bench for Detroit. Cunningham almost recorded another triple-double with 21 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. Ivey dropped 19 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Duren returns after injury
Detroit had been without their starting center Jalen Duren for the past two games due to another ankle injury. After leaning on their reserves in his absence, Duren was an impactful piece of the victory earned by the Pistons.
While playing with extra support around his ankles, Duren finished with eight points, eleven rebounds, and two blocks. The 20-year-old big was able to stay out of foul trouble through 30 minutes of action. Duren was a major reason why the Pistons outrebounded the Heat 56-43. Bickerstaff applauded the return of Duren and how well he produced in Detroit’s win.
“I thought he was really good. Again, I thought he was active, and close to a double-double. It’s tough coming back being in limited minutes and still trying to find your rhythm and I thought he did a great job of that,” Bickerstaff explained. “Defensively he was really good in the pick and roll also. I think he was really good and we’ll just continue to build with him.”
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