Pistons' Cade Cunningham shouts out true heroes after NBA Cup win vs. Raptors
11/16/2024 12:55 PM
After falling short to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, the Detroit Pistons returned to the win column on Friday night, defeating the Toronto Raptors 99-95. The victory pushed the Pistons’ regular season record to 6-8 while remaining undefeated at 2-0 in East Group B of the In-Season Tournament.
Detroit took down Toronto courtesy of a balanced offensive attack. Six different scorers finished in double figures and got a big lift from many reserves off the bench. Point guard Cade Cunningham propped up who he thought made the biggest difference in the fourth quarter during the postgame media session.
“Wendell (Moore Jr.) and Sass (Marcus Sasser), they were huge for us. They came in and brought so much energy,” Cunningham stated. “Made shots, flying around defended. That group really just got us back in the game, and from there we just rode it out.”
The Pistons regained the lead in the fourth quarter after being outplayed by the Raptors in the third quarter. The momentum shifted when the Pistons got positive contributions from Moore and Sasser. Moore made some key rebounds after getting beat on the offensive glass by Toronto.
He also made an impact with useful transition buckets and assisted in limiting Raptors’ forward Gradey Dick to a tough shooting night. Dick finished with 16 points on 4-17 shooting from the field and only hitting 1-10 triples against Detroit.
Sasser was a big help with some clutch shots down the stretch for the Pistons. He knocked down a pair of big triples in the fourth quarter and made a big steal against Dick which led to one of those buckets.
Cunningham also offered some love to rookie Ron Holland II. The 19-year-old forward finished the night with ten points, eight rebounds, and three steals. After missing some potential game-winning free throws against the Bucks, Cunningham was encouraged by Holland’s production and energy in the victory against the Raptors.
“That’s my guy. Ron doesn’t change either. He wants to play as hard as he can everyday,” Cunningham said. “He’s a different dude, I’m just happy for him man. He stuck it out. He had a couple tough plays early on. His mental strength I think that’s the best thing about him and he helped us a ton too.”
Jaden Ivey returned from injury for Pistons
Injuries have started to mount for the Pistons over the past couple of games. They got a much needed return from shooting guard Jaden Ivey after suffering a toe injury against the Miami Heat. Ivey struggled with his shooting efficiency but contributed 14 points in 28 minutes on 4-13 shooting from the field and 1-5 from deep.
The Pistons played their second straight game without the help of two key veterans Tim Hardaway Jr. and Simone Fontecchio. Hardaway had his head stitched up after a brutal collision against the Heat in the second half. He avoided a concussion but was taken off the court in a wheelchair after the accident. Fontecchio was unavailable due to a toe sprain that occurred in the same game.
Veteran shooter Malik Beasley started in place of Hardaway and led the Pistons in scoring with 20 points on 8-15 shooting. He continued his role as one of the team’s best shooters, hitting four of his nine three-point attempts.
Cunningham recorded his sixth double double of the season against the Raptors. He finished with 15 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. While he struggled with his scoring efficiency shooting 6-21 from the field, he made a useful impact with his playmaking, defense, and some timely shots for Detroit.
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