The Detroit Pistons squeaked by the Atlanta Hawks 99-98 in a see-saw affair at Little Caesars Arena Monday night. Cade Cunningham scored eight of his 18 points in the final 3:21, including an 18-foot pull-up jumper to put his team in front for good with 52.5 seconds to go. Neither team took a lead of more than five points until Caris LeVert closed the third quarter with a bucket to put the Pistons up by six. Both teams took their biggest leads in the fourth quarter, only to see their opponent tie the score.
The Big Finish
After Cunningham’s jumper put the Pistons up 97-95, he added a layup to put the Pistons up four. Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit a corner three for Atlanta to cut the lead to 99-98 with 1.8 seconds to go. The Hawks fouled Daniss Jenkins on the inbound, and the second-year backup point guard missed both free throws. Dyson Daniels grabbed the rebound on the second and immediately called a timeout with 0.1 left on the clock. However, Jalen Johnson was unable to convert a tip on the long inbound pass as time expired.
Cunningham and Duren Get Help from Pistons’ Bench
Jalen Duren led Detroit with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Cunningham filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, five steals and three blocked shots. The rest of the Pistons’ starters went 8-for-34 from the field, but the team’s bench came through in a big way on Monday night. Ronald Holland had 17 points, six rebounds and two steals. LeVert pitched in 14 points, and Isaiah Stewart added six points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
Johnson Leads Hawks
Johnson led Atlanta with 29 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Alexander-Walker had 26 points, and center Onyeka Okongwu added 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Unlike the Pistons, the Hawks got relatively little out of their bench. In over 71 combined minutes, they were only able to pitch in nine points. The Hawks were outrebounded by the Pistons by 26, including 11 more offensive rebounds, which proved too much to overcome in a tight game.
What’s Up Next?
The win at home saw the Pistons improve to 17-4 on the season. Detroit will head to Milwaukee on Wednesday for a matchup with the Bucks (9-13). The Hawks had won four of their last five games before Monday’s loss. They will now head home to host the Los Angeles Clippers (5-16) on Wednesday.
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