Cade Cunningham had 26 points and 11 assists to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 111-108 win over the host Philadelphia 76ers, as Tyrese Maxey’s 3-pointer to tie at the buzzer rimmed out.
Jalen Duren paired 21 points with 16 rebounds and Duncan Robinson added 17 points as Detroit extended its winning streak to six and moved to 8-2, its best start to a season since 2005-06.
Maxey scored 33 points for the Sixers and Andre Drummond added 17 points and 12 boards, starting for the first time this season in the absence of Joel Embiid (left knee management).
Cunningham’s huge jam on Drummond — which finished with a three-point play after he was fouled in the act by Kelly Oubre Jr. — put Detroit up 109-104 in the final two minutes of the fourth.
Maxey replied by dunking on Cunningham, after picking his opposite number’s pocket, then added two more free throws to trim the Pistons’ advantage to 109-108 with 31.4 seconds remaining.
Cunningham’s turnaround jumper made it 111-108 with 16.9 seconds left, before the final play saw Maxey almost lose possession, regather, then narrowly miss from deep.
The Pistons led 37-32 after the first quarter, which finished on successive 3-pointers from Caris LeVert.
Detroit had led 31-23, before the Pistons struggled in the second period, coughing up nine turnovers that cost them 13 points.
Philadelphia ratcheted up the defensive pressure and started the quarter with a 10-2 burst to hit the lead on Jabari Walker’s 3-pointer, which came on the back of another Detroit cough-up.
Maxey and Walker had eight points each for the quarter, which the 76ers dominated 32-17 to push ahead 64-54 at halftime.
Drummond paced an 11-0 Sixers run in the third, which stretched the scoreline to 79-66, before Cunningham inspired a 10-0 Pistons response.
Held to just two points on 1-of-9 shooting in the first half, Cunningham peeled off 17 points in the third frame, including 6 of 8 from the foul line, as Detroit pinched an 88-85 lead on Paul Reed’s reverse jam with a quarter to play.
Maxey had 15 points in the fourth, and twice gave Philadelphia the lead back with 3-point bombs, but he couldn’t bury the one that mattered most.
–Field Level Media