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The Detroit Pistons won their seventh straight game in the NBA with in-form Cade Cunningham (23) putting up 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 106-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. The Pistons, who are in the playoff positions, moved to 32-26 which is their best record at this stage of a season for 17 years.
It was an all-round effort from Detroit with Tobias Harris (32) adding 20 points and Jalen Duren (21) making 19 rebounds along with his 12 points. It was a tight contest until Detroit pulled away late in the third quarter to tie their longest winning streak since the 2014-15 season. The Clippers (31-26) got within five points late in the game, but Cunningham made a pair of free throws and then drained a three-pointer to secure the win.
Detroit's push for a playoff spot comes after they finished with the worst regular season record in the NBA for the past two seasons. Last season Detroit lost 28 games in a row, the longest single-season losing streak and tied for the longest losing run overall in NBA history.
Much of the credit for the turnaround in form goes to Cunningham whose coach J.B. Bickerstaff (45) was full of praise for the 23-year-old. "You talk about leadership, you talk about understanding the moment and what that was going to push the rest of the group to do. When the guys see him diving on the floor no one is going to see a loose ball on the floor and not make the effort," he said. "I've been amazed by his understanding and his recognition of the moment and his impact on each and every moment. I'll say it and say it and say it, but we could not be more fortunate than to have a guy like him here leading the show," he added.
