It wasn’t the most efficient night for Cade Cunningham, but he came up big when it mattered and carried the Detroit Pistons to an overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Cade was able to get to his spots all night but had a lot of bunnies rattle out, leading to a 10-of-25 night shooting.
But he scored seven of his 28 points in the overtime period and showed why many believe he should be Rookie of the Year. I mean no offense to Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes, who are both amazing, but their teams are not going to them down the stretch in an overtime game.
Their seasons are hard to compare, as Cade Cunningham is the focal point of his offense while the other two are complementary players. It will likely come down to the wire, but if Cade keeps putting up numbers like this, it will be hard to deny him the award.
The Pistons were able to contain Trae Young and hold on to the victory even though they made some mental mistakes at the end of regulation that nearly cost them the game.
Here are three takeaways from the suddenly frisky Detroit Pistons’ win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III
Isaiah Stewart had to leave the game in the second quarter after Clint Capela accidentally rolled into his leg, tweaking Stewart’s knee in the process.
The Pistons said the injury isn’t serious, but he didn’t return for the rest of the game, which was a shame. Not only is Stewart playing well right now, but he was doing a great job of switching onto the smaller Hawks on the perimeter in the early stages of the game.
However, Bagley III did an admirable job as his replacement, notching his first double-double as a Piston with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The two were on the floor together when Beef Stew got injured, something we may see more of in the future as the Pistons try to figure out their big man situation.
Bagley III showed why people are excited about his talent, as he grabbed offensive rebounds for put backs and had several lobs from Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes that he went up and got for dunks.
Bagley III needs to get better at passing out of the post, and his late foul nearly cost the Pistons the game (luckily John Collins missed one of the free throws), but his offensive game is intriguing and if Detroit can re-sign him to a team-friendly deal, that trade is going to look like a steal.
Killian Hayes’ confidence is building and he’s helping Cade Cunningham
Killian Hayes had one of his best all-around games since moving to the bench, ending with 13 points, six assists, four rebounds and just one turnover in 31 minutes.
Dwane Casey stayed with him down the stretch and Hayes was doing a great job of locking up Trae Young, who would have had a season low in points had the game not gone to overtime.
Hayes wasn’t on Young all game, but when he was, he got in his grill, got his hands on the ball and made Young take tough shots that he was not hitting.
Killian also looked comfortable running the offense, had a couple of nice bullet passes across court to set up teammates, and most importantly, was aggressive looking for his own shot, which will open up his dribble/kick game.
I really like the chemistry he’s building with Marvin Bagley III, who provides him with an outlet and gives Hayes a lob threat.
Another underrated part of his night was his screen setting. The Pistons were using Hayes as the screener in the 4th quarter in order to get Trae Young switched onto Cade Cunningham.
Just about every time it happened, Cade was able to get into the lane with ease and get a good look. If not for the fact that Cunningham had some bad luck on easy shots in the paint, he could have had 40 points last night, as the Hawks had no answer.
You could see Killian’s confidence growing as the game went on, and it’s too bad that he got kneed in the groin late in the game and had to miss the rest. Let’s hope he comes back healthy in the next game, as we are finally starting to see the growth we were looking for this season.
Isaiah Livers could be a key bench player for the Detroit Pistons
I thought Isaiah Livers was low key an important part of the Pistons’ win last night and is providing Detroit some things off the bench that they have lacked for most of the season.
He’s a threat from the 3-point line, something the Pistons desperately need. He hit 3-of-6 last night, two of which were important shots that kept Detroit alive in the 4th quarter.
He is also active defensively, notching three steals last night and always putting himself in the right position to make the play.
He showed his high basketball I.Q. with a couple of slick passes that either directly or indirectly led to buckets.
He got the “hockey” assist in the 3rd quarter after beating his man and dumping it off in the paint to Jerami Grant, who was able to give a touch pass to Kelly Olynyk for the bucket. Grant got the assist but it was Livers who made the play happen.
He also made the extra pass at the end of the 3rd quarter, swinging it to Killian Hayes who drilled the open 3-pointer. Livers could have taken the shot himself but Hayes had a better one and was set up perfectly.
After being hurt for most of the season, Livers is showing why the Pistons signed him to a 3-year deal. He can be their “glue guy” off the bench, a connector who sets up teammates, plays smart defense and knocks down open shots.
He’s the perfect type of role player to put with Cade Cunningham and I look forward to watching the two build chemistry.