Cade Cunningham’s fiery start to preseason continued into Thursday night’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
After scoring 20 points against the Memphis Grizzlies in the preseason opener, the star guard put up 26 points while only playing the opening half to lead all scorers.
Despite almost a game’s worth of points in 19 minutes, the Pistons fell to the Bucks on the road, 117-111.
Center Jalen Duren was missing for the second straight preseason matchup as he continues to deal with hamstring tightness.
Veteran forward Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey and Caris LeVert didn’t dress out for the game, either, after all playing in the preseason opener.
Cunningham continued to show he has absolutely no rust getting back in the swing of things this preseason, scoring nine straight points for the Pistons early on.
The Third-team All-NBA guard got it done at every level, driving to the basket to finish or draw a foul, show his touch from midrange and at one point draining back-to-back three pointers.
In the first half, Cunningham finished with 26 points on 57.1% shooting, a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line, six rebounds, six assists and two steals before taking a seat for the second half.
Returning playmakers Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson also provided plenty of help with 19 combined points as the Pistons scored 44 points in the paint.
But the other first-half standout helping push the Pistons to a 12-point advantage at the break was second-year forward Bobi Klintman. The former second-round pick in 2024 only played nine minutes in the first preseason game, picking up three points and three rebounds.
Klintman got in late in the opening half and played seven minutes where he posted eight points and three rebounds, making a pair of contested three-point shots. He added two assists and three rebounds in the second half, but didn’t score more points in 12 additional minutes of playing time.
The Bucks opened the second half on a 19-7 run to level things up at 79 early in the third quarter.
Rookie Chaz Lanier continued to play a key part in the Pistons’ game plan. He hit a key three in the third to keep the Pistons level at 86. However, the Bucks’ AJ Green was amid a major run in the third quarter, scoring 12 points of his 22 for the night.
Another rookie in Exhibit 10 signee Brice Williams also gave an effort in keeping the Pistons in the matchup down the stretch. In the fourth quarter, the Nebraska product scored eight points, relying on some strong positioning to set up baskets and two perfect trips to the foul line.
Two-way guard Daniss Jenkins offered some explosiveness with all nine of his points for the night in the final quarter, but the Pistons struggled to make shots down the stretch, hitting just 1-of-8 in the final three minutes.
It came down to a steady diet of free-throw makes for the Bucks — 13-of-16 in the fourth quarter — and a pair of driving scores from Milwaukee’s Mark Sears in the final 90 seconds to put the finishing touches on the game.
BOX SCORE
Up next: The Pistons play their penultimate preseason game on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, Oct. 14 before playing their lone preseason home game against the Washington Wizards on Oct. 16.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.