Cade Cunningham shows how to win a game without scoring

The Detroit Pistons finally broke their losing streak, beating the Miami Heat even though Cade Cunningham only took four shots.

If you would have told me that the Pistons would get a win on a night where their best player scored four points I probably would have laughed at you.

But that is exactly what happened, as the Pistons used timely defense and shooting by Saddiq Bey to hold on against a shorthanded Miami team.

The Heat were missing Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro, so it’s not like the Pistons are going to be telling their kids about this win, but Detroit was also playing its third game in as many days.

The win snapped a 14-game losing streak and it was nice for the Pistons to finally get a win and avoid setting the all-time franchise losing streak.

So how did they do it without the scoring of Cade Cunningham? He took over with his passing.

Cade Cunningham passes the Detroit Pistons to victory

The Miami Heat obviously decided that they were not going to let Cade Cunningham beat them, which is a sound strategy given the Pistons lack of talent and depth.

They double-teamed him every time he touched the ball, trying to force it out of his hands and make someone else on Detroit beat them.

That’s exactly what happened, as Cade ended the game with 10 assists for his second game in a row with double-digit dimes.

He didn’t force shots, but instead took what the defense was giving him, which was passes to open teammates.

This was crucial in the 4th quarter, when Cade was able to draw double teams before hitting an open Saddiq Bey for two clutch 3-point shots that essentially sealed the game.

Cade Cunningham struggled with foul trouble all game and the Heat clamped down on his drives and scoring, but he didn’t let that take him out mentally, which you love to see from a rookie.

Cade showed that he can win a game in a number of ways, playing like a veteran and picking the Heat apart with passes out of the double teams.

It’s nice that the Pistons won’t enter the new year on a 20-game losing streak, which is honestly what I thought was going to happen, and they can thank the passing of Cade Cunningham and the suddenly hot shooting of Saddiq Bey.