Pistons' Cunningham, Duren not enough in 132-130 loss to Hawks
Published in Basketball
DETROIT — Each generation of the Detroit Pistons had an era that defined it. The Bad Boys were marked by the Hall of Fame backcourt pairing of Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas, while the Goin’ to Work era was characterized by Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton.
After five consecutive seasons in purgatory, the Pistons still haven't found their next great tandem. However, this season, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren are starting to establish themselves as Detroit's next prominent duo. Cunningham and Duren set an early tone against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night by connecting on three of the Pistons' first five offensive possessions.
However, the Cunningham-Duren pairing wasn't enough to help the Pistons avoid a 132-130 loss to the Hawks.
Cunningham recorded a double-double of 30 points and 14 assists, while Duren contributed 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
"That's my brother," Duren said. "He is a guy with whom I am consistently communicating with, and a lot of times, it's not even about basketball. We have built our chemistry, and he trusts me. He calls me his tight end. Whenever your quarterback throws it to you, you have to be ready to catch it. He has that trust in me, and I have that trust in him."
Cunningham nailed a 3-point field goal to bring the Pistons within four points (121-117) with 4:40 left in the fourth quarter. A few possessions later, Tobias Harris (22 points) connected with Ausar Thompson for an alley-oop, which left Detroit trailing 124-122.
Duren's block on De'Andre Hunter resulted in a fastbreak bucket for Harris. On Detroit's next offensive possession, he knocked down a mid-range jumper to give the Pistons a 126-124 lead with 2:30 left.
With 59 seconds left, the Pistons trailed 129-128, but Cunningham's turnover led to Trae Young giving the Hawks a 130-128 lead after splitting a pair of free throws.
Coming out of the timeout, Cunningham scored on a driving layup to tie the game at 130, which left 26.5 seconds. He scored 12 in the final period. Young scored a game-winning basket with a field goal over Malik Beasley. Young led Atlanta with 34 points and nine assists. Hunter scored 20 points.
While the continuity between Cunningham and Duren was on display, it was an overall subpar night for Detroit (25-25) as a whole.
The Pistons began to fall behind in the second quarter as Atlanta outscored Detroit 39-29. During this time, the Pistons went nearly eight minutes without a field goal, allowing the Hawks to capitalize on their struggles and extend their lead to 14 points (71-57) with 1:43 remaining in the period.
Dyson Daniels (19 points) scored 13 in the quarter to help the Hawks end their eight-game losing streak, which has diminished their once-promising season.
The Pistons trailed Atlanta 73-64 by halftime, a deficit that once appeared unlikely after their fast start to the game. Cunningham and Duren set an early tone by connecting on three of the Pistons' first five offensive possessions. By the end of the first quarter, Detroit held a 35-30 lead.
However, in their third game in four days, fatigue might have begun to impact the Pistons by the end of the first half. Detroit started the third quarter with a 20-4 run to get back into the game. Detroit's strong start to the second half gave them an 86-84 lead at the 7:01 mark, but the Pistons couldn't sustain their momentum until late the fourth quarter.
Malik Beasley had one of his best shooting performances of the season by nailing 6 of 10 attempts from behind the arc for 18 points.
Observations and notes vs. Hawks
— Pistons fail to earn tiebreaker against the Hawks: By losing to the Hawks, the Pistons missed the opportunity to secure the tiebreaker against Atlanta. However, Detroit is now 2-1 against the Hawks this season, creating a must-win situation for their series finale on Feb. 23 at State Farm Arena.
— Ausar Thompson continues to show his two-way potential: Ausar Thompson proved why the NBA honored him as a rising star due to his two-way potential of 14 points, four assists, three steals and a block.
— Pistons in consideration for Monthly award: Before the game, the NBA announced the winners of January's Coach of the Month. Although he did not receive the recognition, J.B. Bickerstaff was nominated for the award in the Eastern Conference after leading the Pistons to a 10-6 record. Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets and Rick Carlisle of the Indiana Pacers were awarded Coach of the Month for their respective conferences.
Up next
The Pistons will continue their six-game homestand on Wednesday night when they welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Motor City. They will then host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday before closing their homestand against the Charlotte Hornets on Super Bowl Sunday. Tip-off between the Pistons and Cavaliers is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
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