The game went from a big-time blowout to a spectacular collapse to a gritty win for the Detroit Pistons. You can thank Cade Cunningham for every phase of the wild 138-135 win over the Miami Heat in Miami. We can start with the gritty win part.
Cade Cunningham took the game into his own hands with 34 seconds left and the Heat within three. Cunningham methodically dribbled himself into prime position in the lane for a smooth five-foot pull-up jumper. It effectively iced the game for the Pistons.
Of course, the Pistons didn’t need to make the game that close. For 3.25 quarters, they were absolutely dominant. They scored 76 points in the paint, had 29 assists, and shot 59% from the field. There were accolades to spread around. Cunningham scored 29 points on the night and had eight assists. Tobias Harris scored 26 points on 10-of-12 from the field. Duncan Robinson scored 18 points in his return to Miami. Paul Reed had a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double in 19 minutes. Ron Holland and Daniss Jenkins did the grimey things you love to see.
The Pistons were up 22 points with just over 8 minutes to play in the game, and then the whole thing nearly came crumbling down. Again, you had to look at Cade Cunningham. Heavy is the head, etc.
To be fair, the Pistons did squander eight points of that 22-point lead in the 3-plus minutes Cunningham sat in the fourth quarter. But when your star comes out for the final stretch, and you are nursing a 14-point lead, you expect to close things out easily. It wasn’t the case.
From the 3:40 mark to the 55-second mark, Cunningham committed three turnovers and a 3-point shooting foul on Norm Powell. That took a 14-point lead and whittled it to two.
Cunningham struggled as the Heat told whoever was guarding Ausar Thompson to ignore him and hound Cade as early as possible. Cunningham also too easily and willingly dribbled himself into trouble. It was mind-boggling and frustrating on a night that had so much promise for a Pistons team that had dropped two winnable games in a row.
Luckily for the Pistons, Cunningham decided to own the final minute of play. Not only that game-sealing middie, but on the possession prior, he handled the blitz easily and rifled the ball to Jenkins in the middle of the lane. Jenkins did not hesitate and finished a tough layup over a defender (and perhaps through contact).
Jenkins also split a pair of free throws to give the Pistons a five-point lead with 12.9 seconds left, and then sank two more to make sure the Heat were always trying to overcome a two-possession deficit.
When you lose the free-throw battle 33-17, I guess you’re always going to feel like you’re in a dog fight, but it is truly hard to describe how much the Pistons just freely gifted Miami this game late.
But it ended up a win. An ugly win. A gritty win. A win that ended a brief two-game losing streak. A win against a team in the Eastern Conference that looks to be a top-four team. They will have another one of those battles on Monday when they host the Atlanta Hawks. Let’s hope for a similar effot in the first three quarters, and much less drama in the fourth quarter.
See More:
* [Detroit Pistons Game Day](/detroit-pistons-game-day)
* [Pistons Scores](/pistons-scores-results)