Philadelphia — Tyrese Maxey had every fan in Xfinity Mobile Arena chanting “MVP.” He was at the free-throw line and made two foul shots, bringing the Philadelphia 76ers within one point of the Detroit Pistons with 31 seconds left.
One stop could have given the 76ers a chance to win the game at home, but Philadelphia struggled to contain Cade Cunningham. The All-NBA guard proceeded to score on a turnaround jumper over 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. on Detroit’s next offensive possession to silence the crowd.
The basket gave Cunningham his 24th point of the second half. But more importantly, his late-game heroics gave the Pistons a 111-108 victory on Sunday night.
“It’s his routine,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He is elite when the game is on the line. There are not many people in this league who can do the things that he does. … There is so much that he does.”
BOX SCORE: Pistons 111, 76ers 108
Cunningham recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 26 points and 11 assists. He scored 17 on 5-for-7 shooting during the third quarter to shake off a dreadful first-half performance. His play during the period also helped the Pistons overcome a 13-point deficit.
Behind Cunningham’s play, the Pistons held an 88-85 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Detroit is 7-0 this season when leading after the third quarter.
The Pistons also improved to 8-2, their best start through 10 games since the 2005-06 campaign, when they began the season 9-1. Jalen Duren notched his sixth double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds.
“I think we did a great job defensively in the third and fourth quarters,” Bickerstaff said. “Our defense was elite. Our guys have a great understanding of what it will take for us to separate ourselves. We hang our hats on the defensive end of the floor.”
The Pistons were without Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart, who were sidelined due to their respective ankle sprains. Harris missed his fourth consecutive game. Detroit had a slight injury scare midway through the first quarter when Ausar Thompson turned his right ankle while defending Maxey on a driving layup.
Thompson limped to the bench to receive treatment. He was able to return early in the second quarter, adding 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. After Maxey gave the Sixers a 101-100 lead with 4:30 to play, Thompson scored on a turnaround jumper to help the Pistons reclaim the lead.
After the game, Thompson spent a great deal of time icing his ankle in the locker room. Upon exiting, the third-year forward was walking with a significant limp.
By being short-handed, Bickerstaff had to rely upon the team’s depth to extend its winning streak to six. Before fouling out with 5:40 left in the fourth quarter, Duncan Robinson had arguably his best game since joining the Pistons, with 17 points on 5-for-11 shooting and four made 3-pointers. Caris LeVert added 14 points.
“They were huge for us,” Cunningham said. “We have guys who have the talent. It allows them to come in and make plays whenever they are needed. That is what’s so fun about being a part of this team.”
Maxey came into the game as the league’s second-highest scorer, averaging 33.2 points. It was an inefficient night, shooting 10 of 26 from the field for 33 points. He started the game missing five of his first six shots.
The 76ers were without former league MVP Joel Embiid because of left knee management. So far this season, Embiid is slowly working his way back to form, averaging 19.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game.
Former Pistons All-Star Andre Drummond started in Embiid’s absence, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Drummond showcased his improvements in developing his 3-point shot, shooting 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Observations and notes
▶ Rough half: Cunningham had a rough first half, to the point that his first basket didn’t come until the 6:12 mark of the second quarter. He started the night missing his first six shots from the field and was responsible for three of the Pistons’ turnovers during that time. He finished with five giveaways.
His poor play was primarily a result of the 76ers’ defense, which employed a physical style and double-teamed him each time he touched the ball.
During the first 24 minutes, Cunningham looked far from the MVP profile he built during the winning streak, where he averaged 29.8 points on 53.8% shooting and 2.2 turnovers. Creating plays for his teammates was the only thing that appeared remotely close to his All-NBA performance. He had seven assists in the first half. He came into the night averaging 11.2 assists over the past five games.
“I got lucky and fell into a franchise and a city that has the same mentality that I felt it took for me to take the next step.”
Cunningham speaks on why he never lost faith in the franchise during its time of struggles. The #Pistons are 8-2 following their win vs. the Sixers. pic.twitter.com/BzQS4p96NS
— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) November 10, 2025
▶ Second-quarter blues: The Pistons have managed to recover from their poor starts, mainly due to their improved performance in the second quarter. However, they experienced a setback in Philadelphia. After delivering one of their best first-quarter performances of the season and winning that period for only the second time, their play took a downward turn in the second quarter.
Due to their poor play on both ends, the 76ers outscored the Pistons 32-17, which led to Detroit trailing 64-54 at the half. They allowed Philadelphia to shoot 52.2% from the floor and committed eight turnovers, which led to 13 points.
During the first nine games, Detroit was one of the top teams in the league, averaging 29.6 points per game during the period.
▶ LeVert is starting to find his way: LeVert is gradually finding his rhythm in Detroit. He scored 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting from deep, and his performance was crucial in keeping the team competitive during their struggles in the first half. Over the last three games, LeVert has averaged 11.3 points on 51.3% shooting from the field.
“Caris is really good for us, and I’ve felt like he has been really good for us all season,” Ron Holland II said. “It is exciting to see him get going a little bit offensively. Once that becomes consistent, being able to come off the bench and give us that extra scoring that we need, he will continue to help this team as well.”
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
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