Cade Cunningham’s historic triple-double leads Pistons over Raptors

Detroit Pistons‘ point guard superstar Cade Cunningham continues to prove himself on the field as the leader of this franchise.

After missed 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 ended with 22 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds.

Cunningham joins Pistons legend Isaiah Thomas as the only other players in franchise history to record that stat. That makes seven triple-doubles for Cunningham this season, which ranks 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 its last seven games, improving its regular season record to 20-19. Cunningham stated that the team’s motivation for Saturday’s game was to not fall below .500 during the season interview after the game. Coach JB Bickerstaff gave feedback on Cunningham’s impact performance against Toronto.

“He lets the game come to him and I think that’s something he does at a high level.” “He reads the defense extremely well,” Bickerstaff explained. “(Toronto) is a team that plays hard in pinch situations, they’re tough on tackles, they help on the strong side, and instead of trying to force the issue, he just played over and over and trusted his teammates to knock down shots, which rewarded him with assists.”

Detroit has shown exceptional ability to move the ball as a team led by Cunningham. The Pistons dished out 35 assists on 44 field goals against the Raptors defensively. This turned into an efficient shooting night as a team as they finished 52.4 percent from the field and 57.6 percent from 3.

Cunningham and the Pistons were able to overcome eight turnovers by their main man. A late-game heroics from the 6-foot-7 point guard helped seal the win for Detroit. Cunningham had six points and four assists in the final period to beat the Raptors at Little Caesars Arena.

Tim Hardaway Jr. leaves in the Pistons comeback

The Pistons lineup got a boost as guard Tim Hardaway Jr. returned after being scratched late Thursday due to back spasms. He didn’t miss a beat as he led all scorers with a record 27 points in 31 minutes. Hardaway Jr. was hot all night as he hit 9-13 from the field and 7-8 from three. Bickerstaff explained how important the 12-year veteran was in a key win for Detroit.

“You need a guy like that to counter the way they want to defend. He fits perfectly in that defense. They want to leave guys to try and stop the basketball from getting to the paint,” Bickerstaff said. “You have to have guys that have the ability and confidence to catch and shoot. Tonight was a great game for him and a great game for him. Things weren’t always easy, but I thought he was another guy who calmed us down and made big plays when we needed them.”

Sagittarius Malik Beasley also had a breakout game, scoring 18 points off the bench for the Pistons. Beasley was 6-10 from the field and 4-5 from 3. Forward Tobias Harris was also helpful, going 6-12 from the field and 2-5 from 3 for a total of 17 points.