Coty and Tarohn were impressed with the Pistons’ 128-112 preseason win in Memphis.
Coty and Tarohn were impressed with the Pistons’ 128-112 preseason win in Memphis.
It took Cade Cunningham less than 20 minutes to surpass his impressive performance from three nights ago. During the Detroit Pistons’ 117-111 preseason loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday night, Cunningham put on a show in the 18 minutes he played at Fiserv Forum.
He scored 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Cunningham also contributed with six assists, six rebounds and two steals. Aside from his scoring, Cunningham’s performance against the Bucks was better than his game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, mainly because he improved in taking care of the ball, recording only one turnover.
While Cunningham demonstrated his All-NBA talents, the Pistons embarked on another explosive second quarter. They picked up the efficiency and intensity on both ends, outscoring the Bucks 41-27. Behind 15 points coming from Cunningham during the period, Detroit shot 58.3% from the field and 50.0% from deep.
They held a 72-60 lead at the half. However, Cunningham’s night ended early, which allowed the Bucks to embark on a comeback during the second half.
According to the broadcast, he was clutching his lower back as he headed to the locker room right before the start of the third quarter. He emerged from the locker room right before the fourth quarter but finished the game watching from the bench.
The Bucks took advantage of Cunningham’s absence. They outscored the Pistons 29-17 in the third quarter, tying the game at 89 heading into the fourth. Although Detroit tried to keep the game competitive, Chris Livingston scored all nine of his points in the final period to keep Milwaukee afloat.
BOX SCORE: Bucks 117, Pistons 111
With Giannis Antetokounmpo out, the Bucks leaned upon AJ Green amid their comeback. He scored 12 of his 22 points during the third period. He had a perfect shooting performance by connecting on all five of his attempts from behind the arc and seven of his shots from the foul line.
Bobby Portis Jr. added 11 points, while Kevin Porter Jr. recorded 10 points and two assists.
Ausar Thompson took on the role as Detroit’s primary ball handler, but the Pistons relied on a collective effort to fill the void left by Cunningham’s absence. Thompson’s performance included 11 points, five rebounds and a block. Paul Reed continued to demonstrate why president Trajan Langdon prioritized his free-agent signing, contributing nine points, six rebounds and two assists.
Notes and observations vs. Bucks
Pistons without three starters vs. Bucks: Jalen Duren missed his second consecutive game due to hamstring tightness. Additionally, the Pistons were also without Tobias Harris and Jaden Ivey, who were resting.
Klintman is making a name for himself: After a lackluster performance against the Grizzlies, Bobi Klintman took advantage of the extra minutes available due to Harris’ absence. Klintman played 19 minutes and finished with eight points, all coming in the second quarter. He came up huge cleaning the glass with six rebounds. His best play of the night came at the end of the second quarter when he recorded a putback dunk following Duncan Robinson’s missed 3-point field goal.
A subpar night for Thompson: With Ivey out, Thompson started alongside Cunningham in the backcourt. His usage as a ball-handler increased; however, he struggled with his dribbling at times. Midway through the second quarter, Thompson stumbled while handling the ball under the pressure Ryan Rollins applied with his defense.
Up next
The Pistons will continue their preseason schedule on Tuesday night in a road contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at Rocket Arena.
Coty.Davis@detroitnews.com
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