Cunningham's 27 points propel Pistons to a hard-fought 114-110 victory over the Cavs, ending a nine-game losing streak.
Cade Cunningham's 27 points and Daniss Jenkins' 25 points, including 21 in the second quarter, were pivotal in the Detroit Pistons' 114-110 road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite missing two starters, the Eastern Conference leaders snapped their nine-game losing streak at Rocket Arena and secured their second victory over the Cavaliers in 15 games.
Despite trailing by 13 with under five minutes to play, Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, including 23 after halftime. Darius Garland's basket with 1:16 left cut Detroit's lead to 108-106, but Ausar Thompson's tip-in with 17.2 seconds remaining and Jenkins' four free throws in the final 5.7 seconds sealed the win for the Pistons.
Cunningham was 11 for 11 from the line, and the Pistons made all 21 free-throw attempts. Darius Garland scored 16 for Cleveland, but missed all seven of his 3-point attempts. Evan Mobley and Sam Merrill each scored 15 points for the Cavaliers, who saw their three-game winning streak end.
In other NBA action:
- The Magic defeated the Pacers 135-127, with Desmond Bane scoring 31 points and Paolo Banchero contributing 28 points and 12 rebounds. Anthony Black had 27 points and 10 assists for the Magic, while Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 34 points.
- The Nets defeated the Nuggets 127-115, with Michael Porter Jr. scoring 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists in his return to his former team. Jamal Murray had a career-high 16 assists for the Nuggets.
- The Timberwolves beat the Wizards 141-115, with Anthony Edwards scoring 35 points and Julius Randle adding 22. Minnesota completed a season sweep of Washington, outscoring them 76-48 in the paint.
- The Heat defeated the Pelicans 125-106, with Norman Powell making a career-high nine 3-pointers. Powell scored 34 points, and Bam Adebayo's 3-pointer with 4:14 left in the third quarter sealed the win for Miami.
