DETROIT — Cade Cunningham had just sunk a third-quarter 3-pointer when he held up the “Detroit” portion of the Pistons’ jersey in pronounced fashion. Cunningham did so as if to show the Detroit crowd he was knocking in triples for them. Or for the city.
Those were just three of Cunningham’s game-high 36 points that led the Pistons (44-36) to a 115-106 win over the New York Knicks on Thursday. But what was more important than Cunningham notching his second consecutive game with at least 35 points on 60 percent shooting and five assists, was his team’s defense.
The Pistons’ defense displayed, as a whole, the same passion Cunningham did when propping Detroit up on his chest — especially in the second half. The Pistons’ second-half defensive performance looked more like the version of Detroit that went on an eight-game win streak in February.
The Knicks were limited to fewer and fewer points each quarter and notched just 44 points in the second half on 35.4 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from 3-point range. The Pistons also converted seven New York turnovers into 15 points and registered a defensive rating of 88 during the final two quarters.
Detroit’s defense ending with as much momentum as it did offers an opportunity for this defensive rhythm to carry over to the Pistons’ matchup Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks (46-34) will also be on the second night of back-to-back games after beating the New Orleans 136-111 on Thursday night. Detroit and Milwaukee will square off Sunday for the regular-season finale. One Bucks win would cement them as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and lock the Pistons into sixth.
FIRST THE DUNK, THEN THE BLOCK 💪#DetroitBasketball | @ron2kholland https://t.co/LzGYucNG2X pic.twitter.com/WyofRyLUiz
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 11, 2025
If Detroit can begin to build on its second-half defensive effort, it will bolster its chances of giving whichever team awaits in the first round a serious challenge to advance.
“That’s Pistons basketball,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the win. “I thought in the past couple of games we’ve been in a position where we’ve been trying to trade punches, but that’s not who we are. That’s not what makes us unique. The second half, we played our style. We brought the fight to our type of fight. Defensively is where it always starts for us.
“If we think we’re just going to go out there and trade baskets, that’s not who we are. Everything we do starts with our willingness to compete on the defensive end of the floor, and that’s what makes us unique. We’re not like your typical NBA team. That’s not who we are, and we can’t afford to play that way. But if it comes down to grit, toughness and competition, I like our chances.”
Detroit put a stop to trading baskets after Landry Shamet’s stepback 3 with 6:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. All was even at 99.
That is, until the Pistons held the Knicks scoreless for roughly six minutes of game time in the final frame. Ron Holland II, Tobias Harris, Dennis Schröder and Cunningham combined for a 9-0 Detroit run until 1:50 was left on the clock. Holland finished with 13 points, Harris added 17 and Schröder notched eight.
The Pistons forced five New York turnovers and four missed shots during their run.
“It was a playoff atmosphere, first of all,” Holland said as he had Detroit’s belt propped up on the postgame podium. “We know that’s a potential team we could probably end up seeing. I think we’ve been doing a good job of handling adversity all year. We’ve been growing as a team, as a collective, and as a unit.
“At the timeouts, we’re just saying, ‘Stay together, stay together.’ You’ll hear Cade, (Jalen Duren), even coach just says that. It means more than just saying a sentence like that. When we say ‘stay together,’ it means throughout any type of positive or negative going on, we just are able to stay together as a team and it’s eventually going to turn around for us. We know what Pistons basketball is and we just keep bringing that every single night.”
Although simply looking at Isaiah Stewart’s game log might not initially show it, he embodied Detroit basketball on the defensive end before fouling out. Stewart went scoreless, missing his only shot attempt, had a rebound, an assist and a block.
“He wears on you. I think he has a unique ability,” Bickerstaff said of the Pistons’ big man. “We always talk about the job he does protecting the rim. He’s elite at that, the best in the NBA in my opinion. But what makes him unique defensively? He can guard anywhere on the floor.
“We switch him on anybody. If they have bigs that want to play on the perimeter, we feel like that’s an advantage, too. We’re confident in putting him on anybody.”
Detroit’s confidence in itself defensively extended past Stewart, as the group played team defense well enough together for Cunningham’s 36-point outing to be enough to guide the Pistons on the offensive side of the ball. Cunningham scored from all three levels, shooting 16-of-24 from the field and 2-for-5 from long range.
Two of his 36 points came at the free-throw line. He added eight assists, two rebounds, a steal and a block.
Cunningham operated particularly well out of the post, where he scored 12 points. The post has been labeled a “command center” for Cunningham by Detroit assistant coach, Jarrett Jack.
The 6-foot-6 guard, who often looks closer in height to 6-9 Jalen Duren, was feeling so comfortable in the post during the fourth quarter, he went to his lefty floater on one possession. Cunningham had four dribbles to back 6-5 Delon Wright within eight feet from the hoop before turning over his right shoulder for two with his left hand.
“This is Cade being Cade, and this is what he’s done all year long,” Bickerstaff said. “This is why he’s an All-NBA player, because he has the ability, in games like this, to put on performances like this. I’m so appreciative of the way he goes about it because it’s not just about him. He does what he has to do for the team to win.
“If it’s scoring the ball at a certain point, if he feels momentum shifting, his teammates get him the ball. He has the ability to get to his spot, and he punishes people. And that’s demoralizing, the way he can score the ball in the paint. He understands, not only physically, but mentally how he impacts the game and can turn the tide for us.”
Cunningham averaged 30.8 points on 56.3 percent and 52 percent from distance, 8.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds in four games against New York this season. That bodes well for Detroit as a potential first-round matchup with the Knicks awaits.
Apart from Cunningham’s comfort against New York, the Pistons will have to rely on their defense replicating performances like they did Thursday. Detroit’s next chance will come less than 24 hours after its most recent win. This time against Milwaukee.
“It’s our calling card and we have to trust in it,” Bickerstaff said. “But we have to activate it. It’s not one of those things you can turn on and turn off at this point in time in the year. It’s one of those things that you have to do all of the time.
“If you do what’s right, pay attention to the details and execute the system and the game plan, you’ll give yourself a chance because of the talent we have on that end. The versatility we have on that end. Again, that’s who we have to be. And that’s what makes us different.”
(Photo of Cade Cunningham shooting a 3-pointer against the Knicks: Chris Schwegler / NBAE via Getty Images)