The Detroit Pistons returned to their winning ways with a 97-89 bounce-back victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
Like their Tuesday night loss to the New York Knicks, the matchup with the Hornets was chippy and physical throughout the game. The officials left their mark by calling 24 fouls on the Pistons and 23 on the Hornets. The second quarter slowed down at an alarming rate when nine fouls were called between both teams with about five minutes left in the period.
Detroit also had to weather the storm of more offensive droughts against Charlotte. They found themselves down by double digits early in the second quarter and lost rhythm for a while offensively. The Pistons were able to overcome the early struggles and fight back for their fourth win of the regular season. All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham spoke after the game about how the team was able to maintain focus and win in gritty fashion.
“You want to get every one you can get. Coming off a back-to-back, they (Charlotte) have been waiting for us. They’ve been playing good basketball,” Cunningham stated. “Obviously, Brandon Miller is playing at a super high level, so he was tough to stop tonight. We didn’t start the way we wanted to, but I think to find our way and stay together through all that is important for us. So, it was very important for us.”
Ugly wins have been somewhat of a calling card for the Pistons since hiring head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He was very proud of the team’s effort coming in a scheduled back-to-back in adverse circumstances.
“That’s where we get our mojo. We get our mojo when the game is gritty and nasty. That’s where our guys thrive. That was Pistons’ basketball to me. To be able to win ugly is something we’ve been able to do, and tonight that’s what it took,” Bickerstaff explained to the media after the victory. “Give our guys a ton of credit; personally, I made it home at 3:30 last night. To be able to wake up off of a back-to-back like that, and for the guys to come out and not give up when things got tough says a lot about the character of this group.”
The Pistons were still forced to play through the adversity of injuries as well. All-Star center Jalen Duren remains out while nursing a hamstring injury. Backup shooting guard Isaiah Joe missed his second straight after suffering a hip contusion. Cunningham even had to battle through pain when he banged knees with Miller in the third quarter. Fighting through shorthanded rosters has added to the team’s challenges. However, they have found ways to thrive with their “next man up” mentality.
Cunningham finished the game as the Pistons’ leading scorer with 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field. He also knocked down 4-of-9 total attempts from the 3-point range. Cunningham also controlled the game well with seven assists and only one turnover against the Hornets.
Center Paul Reed continues to fill in well during Duren’s injury absence. He scored 16 points and also had three steals on the defensive end. Backup point guard Daniss Jenkins provided a helpful spark off the bench for the Pistons with 14 points. Shooting guard Duncan Robinson got some of his scoring rhythm back by adding 13 points for Detroit.
The post Pistons’ Cade Cunningham stresses importance of tough wins after Hornets victory appeared first on ClutchPoints.
