First-time All-Star Cade Cunningham poured in 40 points and the host Detroit Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak with a 117-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Tobias Harris had 17 points and Jalen Duren contributed 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Marcus Sasser chipped in 10 points.
Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 28 points. P.J. Washington scored 22 and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Daniel Gafford supplied 16 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Klay Thompson added 13 points.
Detroit scored 27 points off 18 Dallas turnovers.
The Pistons played without Isaiah Stewart, who was suspended one game by the league for accruing his sixth flagrant foul point when he was ejected during Detroit’s loss at Indiana on Wednesday.
Cunningham, who was named an All-Star on Thursday, had 18 points and three assists as the Pistons took a 62-58 halftime lead.
Duren supplied 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Bench points played a big role, as the Pistons reserves outscored Dallas’ backups 21-4. The Pistons finished the half on a 12-5 run, with Duren contributing four points, an assist and a steal.
Detroit had a 7-0 spurt, which included a 3-pointer by Cunningham early in the third to take a 71-63 lead.
After Thompson’s trey pulled Dallas within three, the Pistons reeled off a 13-1 run. Cunningham scored the first four points and Harris had the next four. Tim Hardaway Jr. added a 3-pointer and an assist.
The Mavericks ended the quarter on a 14-7 run to pull within eight at 93-85 with Irving scoring seven of those points.
Dallas scored the first six points of the fourth, including Washington’s 3-pointer, to make it 93-91. However, the Mavs were unable to take the lead. Ron Holland made a steal and dunk to give the Pistons some breathing room. Sasser later scored three baskets in just over two minutes for a 105-96 lead.
Duren had a dunk and two free throws to stretch the Pistons’ lead to 111-96. Cunningham gave Detroit a 19-point lead on a layup after another steal by Hardaway.
–Field Level Media
