DETROIT — With Cade Cunningham sidelined with a left calf contusion, the Detroit Pistons have turned to some unlikely heroes to shoulder the scoring load.
On Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans, rookie Ron Holland tied a career high with 26 points in a win. Second-year guard Marcus Sasser followed suit, scoring a career-high 27 points in a Tuesday victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
To round out their three-game homestand, veteran guard Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-high 32 points to lead the Pistons to a 133-122 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
Along with Cunningham, the Pistons were also without veteran forward Tobias Harris. Harris was seen on the practice court ahead of Friday’s game but ended up being a late scratch due to an Achilles injury.
That paved the way for Malik Beasley and Dennis Schröder to start in Detroit’s backcourt, while Hardaway slid over to the forward spot.
Hardaway, who scored 19 points in the first quarter, continued to pour it on in the third quarter, while Beasley — who struggled early — began to catch fire, drilling three 3-pointers in the period. Detroit blew the game open in the period, shooting 57% from the field while Cleveland shot 35%.
The Pistons led by as many as 21 points, but Cleveland stormed back to cut the deficit to two with three minutes left in regulation, thanks to a big fourth quarter from Donovan Mitchell. He scored 22 of his 38 points in the period.
With 1:24 remaining, Schröder hit a stepback 3-pointer, followed by a steal and dunk by Ausar Thompson to seal the victory, giving Detroit its first win over Cleveland this season.
The win also marked J.B. Bickerstaff’s first victory over the Cavaliers, who dismissed him as head coach last year, paving the way for him to land in Detroit.
Detroit had seven players score in double figures. Along with Hardaway’s 32, Beasley scored 19, Thompson added 18, Schröder had 17, Jalen Duren scored 16, Isaiah Stewart had 14, and Holland finished with 10.
With the win, the Pistons improved to 42-32, tripling their win total from last season.