Cade Cunningham's historic triple-double leads Pistons over Raptors
01/12/2025 01:17 AM
Detroit Pistons’ superstar point guard Cade Cunningham continues to show out on the court as the leader of this franchise.
After coming up short against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, Cunningham led the Pistons to an impressive 123-114 victory against the Toronto Raptors. The fourth-year guard’s dominant triple-double performance finished with 22 points, 17 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Cunningham joins Pistons’ legend Isiah Thomas as the only other player in franchise history to record that stat line. That makes seven triple-doubles for Cunningham this season, ranking him behind Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Los Angeles Lakers forward Lebron James (8).
The Pistons continue their momentum as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Detroit has won six of their last seven games, improving their regular season record to 20-19. Cunningham stated the team’s motivation for Saturday’s matchup was to not drop back under .500 during the postgame interview after the game. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff gave his feedback on how Cunningham generated his impactful performance against Toronto.
“He allows the game to come to him and I think that’s the thing he’s doing at a high level. He reads defenses extremely well,” Bickerstaff explained. “[Toronto] is a team that plays heavy in the pinch spots, they’re heavy at the nail, they help from the strong side, and instead of trying to force the issue, he just made the simple play over and over again and trusted his teammates to knock down shots, which they rewarded him with assists.”
Detroit showed an outstanding ability of ball movement as a team led by Cunningham. The Pistons delivered 35 assists on 44 field goals against the Raptors defensive attack. This translated to an efficient shooting night as a team by finishing 52.4 percent from the field and 57.6 percent from 3.
Cunningham and the Pistons were able to overcome eight turnovers by their lead facilitator. The late-game heroics of the 6-foot-7 point guard helped seal the victory for Detroit. Cunningham scored six points while dishing four assists in the final period to defeat the Raptors at Little Caesars Arena.
Tim Hardaway Jr. goes off in Pistons return
The Pistons’ lineup got a boost as guard Tim Hardaway Jr. returned after being a late scratch Thursday due to back spasms. He did not miss a beat as he led all scorers with a season-high 27 points in 31 minutes. Hardaway Jr. was hot all night as he hit 9-13 shots from the field and 7-8 three-pointers. Bickerstaff explained how important the 12-year veteran was in Detroit’s crucial victory.
“You need a guy like that to counter how they want to defend. He’s a perfect fit versus that defense. They want to leave guys to try and stop the basketball from getting to the paint,” Bickerstaff said “You got to have guys who have the ability and the confidence to catch and shoot. Tonight was a great game for him and a great matchup for him. Things weren’t always easy, but I thought he was another guy who settled us down and made big shots when we needed it.”
Shooting guard Malik Beasley also put together a standout game, scoring 18 points off the bench for the Pistons. Beasley went 6-10 from the field and 4-5 from 3. Forward Tobias Harris was helpful as well, going 6-12 from the field and 2-5 from 3, totaling 17 points.
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