Coty Davis asks J.B. Bickerstaff about the role of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart in win over Utah.
Coty Davis asks J.B. Bickerstaff about the role of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart in win over Utah.
Detroit — Cade Cunningham had every fan inside Little Caesars Arena on their feet late in the fourth quarter, all of whom were chanting MVP. They were in astonishment. For the second consecutive game, the All-NBA guard had 19 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 114-103 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Cunningham’s scoring explosion in the fourth period highlighted his second-half performances this season. Following his play against the Jazz, he is now averaging 16.9 points in the second half.
“I try to play as honestly as possible. I would love to go out there and score 16 in the first quarter, but that’s if what presents itself,” Cunningham said.
“I probably should have scored a ball more in the first half, but I’m gonna take what they give me. Often, it opens up at specific points in the game, and I just have to be ready to attack it. And lately, it’s been in the second half.”
With the win, the Pistons improved to 6-2 on the season, marking their best start since the 2008-09 campaign. Cunningham finished with a game-high 31 points on 13-of-28 shooting and 10 assists.
“He is big time,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He is phenomenal. He is an unbelievable player. He is a great person. A great teammate. A great leader. Everything that you want in a No. 1 guy, Cade is it.”
Low energy and poor production on both ends of the floor had the Pistons facing a nine-point deficit at the 5:05 mark of the second quarter. They were on the verge of another embarrassing loss to the Jazz, reminiscent of one of their most disappointing performances from the previous year.
BOX SCORE: Pistons 114, Jazz 103
However, the Dawg Pound of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart would not let Detroit fall to an inferior team. The following five minutes saw Duren scoring from inside, while Stewart lived up to his goal of being the NBA’s “best rim protector.”
Their production helped the Pistons come within two points (55-53) by halftime, building enough momentum to secure their fourth consecutive victory. Duren finished with his fourth double-double with 22 points and 22 rebounds. Stewart added 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
“They are dominant and so versatile,” Bickerstaff said. “They live in the Dawg Pound for a reason. That’s their mentality. They do all the dirty work. All the physical things and will win the battle 99 percent of the time. Their energy is infectious. Their spirit is infectious, and our guys feed off that.”
Ausar Thompson excelled for the Pistons, contributing 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Javonte Green came off the bench and added nine points, four assists and two steals — keeping Detroit’s Bench Mob effective. Svi Mykhailiuk led the Jazz with a team-best 28 points. Lauri Markkanen added 25.
“We understood what we had to do. In the first half, we weren’t satisfied with the way that we defended. We knew we were capable of more,” Bickerstaff said. “We just got to go out and play Pistons basketball.”
Bickerstaff continued, “The first half, we kind of messed around with the game a little bit on the defensive end. They have good offensive players, so if you do that, they’re capable of keeping up with your state of the game. But I thought we did a great job setting the tone coming out in the third quarter.”
Slowly but surely, LeVert starts to find rhythm
Although Caris LeVert did not maintain his usual level of play, he delivered his best performance of the season. He scored 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three-point range. All of his points came early in the first half, which made his impact more noticeable.
The Pistons needed LeVert at the time because he was the only player who played with energy and kept the team afloat during a period when everyone Bickerstaff called upon was struggling.
Although it was a small sample size, LeVert’s first-half performance suggested that the veteran wing is beginning to find his role in what has been a disappointing start to the season. Most of his struggles stemmed from the hamstring injury that limited his participation during training camp and caused him to miss three of the first eight games.
“What we’ve asked him to do has been extremely difficult,” Bickerstaff said. “He hasn’t gotten frustrated in the moment or overdone it. He has tried to pick his spots, and that is who he is. The more reps he gets, the more comfortable he gets with his teammates, the better off he is going to be.”
Harris not expected to be out for extended period
Tobias Harris sat out his second straight game because of the right ankle sprain he sustained Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks. Bickerstaff provided an update before the game, stating that he is improving and doesn’t expect Harris to miss much time.
“The ankle is one of those things that it’s ‘how is it today? You do more and see how it responds tomorrow,” Bickerstaff said. “But Tobias has been, throughout his career, one of the more durable and reliable players who doesn’t miss a ton of time. We’ll always do what’s right by him and make sure he’s healthy.”
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.