Second halves have been a problem for the Detroit Pistons. Entering Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, the Pistons had been outscored by 33 points in 10 quarters after the half, over five games — 28th among NBA teams. It was a festive night on Friday, as they debuted their Classic Edition teal jerseys, hearkening back to 1996-2001, during a teal-themed night. The festivities weren’t enough to save them against a hot Hawks team.
The Pistons fell to the Hawks, 136-112, at Little Caesars Arena after being outscored 67-45 in the second half. It spoiled a huge night from Cade Cunningham, who scored a career-best 35 points on 14-for-23 shooting with nine rebounds and eight assists. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points, and Isaiah Stewart added 17 points and eight rebounds. Trae Young led the Hawks with a strong night of his own, finishing with 36 points and 12 assists.
The Hawks shot 56.7% overall and made 12 of 29 3-point attempts (41.4%). Detroit’s bench was outscored for the fifth night in a row, mustering 19 points against Atlanta’s 53.
WEAVER’S WORDS:Pistons won’t ‘put a cap’ on Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren
NOT BOGGED DOWN:Bojan Bogdanovic showcasing star-level offense with Pistons
Foul trouble slows another hot night for Cade
As a rookie, Cunningham took roughly 33% of his shots from behind the arc — below-average for his position, but still a significant portion of his offense. He has found his offensive stride this week against the Hawks, doing so by abandoning the 3-point shot almost entirely.
After finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists on Wednesday, Cunningham one-upped himself Friday with one of the best games of his career. He did so without making a 3-pointer, with misses on all three attempts.
Cunningham has emerged as a midrange sniper, shooting 10-for-24 inside the arc on Wednesday and 14-for-19 on Friday. He has been able to continually find pockets of space, and Atlanta’s size advantage in the paint didn’t deter him from finding lines. It’s unlikely that Cunningham will abandon the 3 entirely, but operating inside has led to back-to-back big nights.
He might have scored 40 if it weren’t for foul trouble. He picked up his fifth toward the end of the third quarter, and had a tough whistle mixed with careless mistakes. With the game already out of reach, he played just four minutes in the fourth quarter.
Ivey returns, is staggered with Cunningham
After missing Wednesday’s game with a non-COVID illness, Jaden Ivey returned to the starting lineup on Friday. In a new wrinkle in his rotation, coach Dwane Casey staggered Cunningham and Ivey. It wasn’t clear if it was to keep Ivey’s minutes low as he dealt with the aftereffects of his illness, or to give Cunningham more solo time on the floor after his best game to date Wednesday.
Ivey was the first substitution, coming out for Killian Hayes about five minutes into the first quarter. Ivey then started the second quarter alongside Cory Joseph, Hamidou Diallo, Isaiah Livers and Jalen Duren after Cunningham played the entire first quarter. Cunningham checked back in midway through the second quarter, and finished the first half.
Casey stuck with a similar substitution pattern in the second half, subbing Ivey for Hayes at the seven-minute mark once again in the third quarter. Ivey had a quieter night, posting 12 points and two rebounds in 23 minutes.