Getting off to a fast start hasn’t been the identity of the Detroit Pistons early in the season, but Monday night they showed that it can be.
For the first time this season, the Pistons earned a lead at the end of the opening quarter and didn’t stop there. Detroit never trailed the Memphis Grizzlies on the road and secured a 114-106 victory at FedEx Forum behind a clutch fourth-quarter performance from Cade Cunningham.
The win moves the Pistons to 5-2 for the season, marking the best start for the franchise since 2017.
The Pistons managed to grab their early lead by being disruptive and finishing at the rim. Led by Caris LeVert and Paul Reed with two a piece, the Pistons had five steals in the first quarter and turned eight total turnovers from the Grizzlies into 10 points.
Ron Holland’s nine first-quarter points paced the Pistons to score 24 of their 32 points in the period in the paint, leading by seven at the first buzzer.
The Grizzlies adjusted well defensively in the second, forcing Detroit to take 10 of 17 shots in the quarter outside of the paint. But with the Pistons making four of those 10 as three-pointers, they grew out a 58-48 advantage at halftime.
With forward Tobias Harris out due to a right ankle sprain, Isaiah Stewart was the one to apply some added pressure on both ends of the court, making his first start of the season.
One of the NBA’s top blockers, Stewart continued to show out with four blocks in the game, but he also served up a huge performance on offense, with a career-high 26 points — seven coming in the third quarter — to go with 14 rebounds.
“I’m ready for whatever. Anybody that knows me knows whenever my name is called, my number is called, I’m always prepared,” Stewart told the Pistons’ broadcast postgame. “I bring it every single night. I take my job seriously, ain’t no let up.
“Everybody knows what you’re getting out of Stew every single night. I don’t care about the stats. It’s all about energy. It’s all about what I bring every single night and impacting winning.”
Duncan Robinson draining a pair of three-pointers aided to push the Pistons out in front by 21. That was when Detroit showed its first real signs of struggling as Memphis finished on a 12-0 run to close the gap to nine going into the final 12 minutes.
Memphis continued to mount their late comeback, closing the gap to three thanks to a 21-point night from Jaren Jackson Jr., who earned a critical and-one opportunity in the closing minutes of the game.
The Grizzlies’ Ja Morant returned from a one-game suspension, adding 18 points with 10 assists and six rebounds, but he was held to 5-of-16 shooting and went empty from beyond the arc on four attempts.
Their attempt was thwarted by a red-hot Cunningham scoring 19 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth quarter to deliver the victory.
“That guy. He’s that dude,” Stewart said. “He always brings us home every single night. He do what he do at a high level every single night. We expect that out of him. We don’t expect nothing less.”
Detroit’s star guard finished with eight assists and five rebounds to go alongside his season-high for points, while shooting 12-of-20 from the field.
BOX SCORE
Up next: Detroit returns home to face the Utah Jazz Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
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