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Detroit Pistons
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Pistons vs. Hornets final score: Cade Cunningham triple-doubles in Detroit’s win
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...ade-cunningham-triple-doubles-in-detroits-win
Detroit falls asleep in the second half, but puts the game away when needed
It wasn’t always pretty, and the Detroit Pistons didn’t always look like they were taking the game seriously, but they did enough to put away the overmatched Charlotte Hornets 112-102. The win moved Detroit above .500 (27-26) and 4-2 to end their homestand. Their two losses were by a combined five points.
The Pistons were led by Tobias Harris’ 20 points and Cade Cunningham’s 19-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double. It was Cunningham’s eighth triple-double of the season.
Honestly, it was not Cade’s sharpest game. While he was one of the reason’s the team was able to storm out to a 28-point lead, he was also for the Hornets cutting the deficit to two with 7:48 remaining in the game.
From then on, Cunningham got serious and put the game away. He worked his way into a smooth 16-foot jumper at the top of the key and assisted on a Dennis Schröder three-pointer. He then snaked his way into the lane for a six-foot floater and hit two free throws to power an 11-2 run that put the game out of reach.
The Hornets, who were missing several starters from their lineup, were unable to do much of anything in the first half, but its pair of veterans, Seth Curry and Miles Bridges, powered the team’s second-half comeback. Curry finished with 26 and Bridges a game-high 30 points.
Ausar Thompson continued his strong of strong play as both a point-forward who pushed the ball up the floor and as a big man in the dunker’s spot. He had 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals on 7-of-9 shooting. Thompson is finally getting comfortable after missing most of the first half of the season, and could be a jump shot away from being a young star in the NBA (jump shots are important).
Malik Beasley followed up his career night against the Philadelphia 76ers with a pedestrian game, hitting just five of 14 three-pointers on his way to 17 points.
The Pistons push their record past .500 once again and haven’t been more than two games below or above .500 since being 15-18 on Jan. 1.
They have two more games before an extended rest for the All-Star break, both road contests in a back-to-back against the Bulls in Chicago. The Bulls have four wins in their past 13 games.
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...ade-cunningham-triple-doubles-in-detroits-win
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Pistons ‘targeted’ Dennis Schroder as someone not afraid of the big moments
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...rgeted-dennis-schroder-as-a-valuable-finisher
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
JBB Bickerstaff excited to get new guard integrated into lineup
The thing about playing for seven teams in five years is that you’ve seen it all. That’s exactly why Trajan Langdon and JBB Bickerstaff wanted Dennis Schroder to become a member of the Detroit Pistons.
The well-traveled point guard has started for years, come off the bench, captained young teams, and deferred to superstars. He’s been a member of 13 playoff series, and he’s hit big shots in his career. He also has the ability to impact both ends of the floor. He checked every box.
“And he was a guy that we targeted and wanted to be here as a part of this group because of his skill set,” Bickerstaff said before the Pistons played the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. “His competitive nature, his ability to play two ends of the floor. But you know he’s got a killer instinct in him also. He’s not afraid of the moment. He’s not afraid to take big shots.”
The Pistons have struggled in the absence of Jaden Ivey, who was playing the best season of his career alongside Cade Cunningham, but also played critical minutes running the offense when Cade went to the bench.
Since Ivey’s injury on Jan. 1, the Pistons have been outscored by 7.9 points per 100 possessions when Cunningham is off the floor, compared to outscoring opponents by 5.5 points when he is on. That 13.4-point differential is a huge leap from prior to Jan. 1, when the Pistons were only being outscored by 0.1 points when Cade rested.
The Pistons simply couldn’t rely on Marcus Sasser to run the offense, and the team didn’t really have any other ball-handlers they could turn to. That all changes with Schroder joining the team.
Bickerstaff and Langdon believe the list of needs Schroder will address for the Pistons is extensive.
“Being able to manage change, play big games, play with other elite-level guards. ... take some pressure off of guys, make people’s jobs easier,” Bickerstaff said.
That bit about playing with other guards was perhaps a hint at Bickerstaff’s comfort level in Schroder and Cunningham together to close games. Among the many ways Cuningham has improved this season is as a defender. Still, in crunch time, it was too easy for a ball handler to switch off either Cunningham or Ausar Thompson and find themself going one-on-one against Malik Beasley or Tim Hardaway Jr. Those veterans are great shooters, but great defenders they are not.
Schroder is only at 34% from deep for his career but hit 39% in his 1.5 seasons as a member of the Nets. Detroit is hoping he can recapture some of that magic. He’s also someone who can defend at a much higher level than either of Detroit’s more reliable 3-point shooting threats.
He pointed to Schroder’s success in OKC in both his ability to play alongside the Thunder’s star players, Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and to be on the floor with them to close games.
Dennis’ ability to handle the ball, play the pick and roll, get to the paint, create for himself, create for others. Both of those guys (Lindy Waters and Schroder) are willing to defend as well. So they’re guys who are here who will boost us.”
That’s a lot of praise and maybe a lot of pressure to put on Schroder, but it’s nothing he hasn’t seen before. He’s been there, and now he has a chance to take a young Pistons team there too.
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...rgeted-dennis-schroder-as-a-valuable-finisher
Detroit Pistons
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Pistons vs. Hornets GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...hornets-gamethread-game-time-tv-odds-and-more
Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images
Pistons look to end long home stand strong
The Detroit Pistons end their season-long six-game homestand Sunday afternoon against the Charlotte Hornets. It’s a chance to go 4-2, with their only two losses being heartbreaks of two and three points on last-second shots against the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively.
Today’s game should feature the return of Cade Cunningham, who sat out Friday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers with a sore ankle.
It’s unclear who is suiting up for the Hornets today after the franchise’s big trade of Mark Williams for Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish was rescinded, seemingly after Williams failed his physical with the Los Angeles Lakers. Assuming Williams is out, he will join LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Josh Green, Tre Mann, Grant Williams, Nick Smith Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic on the inactive list.
Game Vitals
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -11.5
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (26-26)
Cade Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr., Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Charlotte Hornets (13-36)
KJ Simpson, Seth Curry, DaQuan Jeffries, Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...hornets-gamethread-game-time-tv-odds-and-more
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Pistons vs. Bulls preview: First game of back-to-back against the Bulls
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...all-star-2024-2025-nba-season-cade-cunningham
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The Pistons will play back-to-back games on the road against the Bulls before heading into the All Star Break.
The NBA has some weird scheduling quirks, and one of the weirdest is back-to-back games against the same team. It doesn’t always happen, but every team seems to have at least one of these a season. I am sure it has to do with reducing travel during a long season by knocking out a couple of road games, but in most cases these is a home game and then a road game against the same team.
If there is one positive about this stretch of games it is that it comes against a Chicago Bulls team that seems like they want to rebuild, but also won’t fully buy-in on doing it. They traded away Zach LaVine at the deadline, but did not trade Nikola Vucevic and also extended Lonzo Ball. They also ended up with like 6 point guards on their roster as they got back Tre Jones in the Zach LaVine trade. The roster is a mess, but they probably still left themselves in position to compete for the Play-In Tournament.
I am not exactly sure what is going on, but one thing that I do know is that he Pistons have a great chance to enter the All Star break on a 4 game winning streak by winning a couple of very winnable games against the Bulls.
Game Vitals
Where: United Center in Chicago, IL
When: Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 8 pm EST
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons (-4.5)
Analysis
The last time these two teams faced off was a game in which Zach LaVine missed, so they have already kind of faced the current iteration of the Bulls minus the log jam at point guard. In that game, the Bulls were able to keep things close by taking 52 threes and making 19 of them.
That is how the 2024-2025 Chicago Bulls play and sometimes it works and other times they lose by a lot when their shots are not falling. They play fast, they don’t really play much defense, but they are definitely going to get up a lot of 3s.
Without Zach LaVine, the Bulls are not as good on offense, but they still have plenty of guys that can make threes. Unfortunately for the Pistons, one of those guys is Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Duren struggles mightily to guard him. I was hoping we would no longer have to worry about him after the deadline because the Bulls traded him, but that did not happen so now the Pistons have to get their night ruined by Vucevic once again.
In the first matchup between these teams, Vucevic had 29 points in a Bulls win and in the aforementioned game, he ended up with a triple-double. However, the important thing is that he is 12-of-14 from beyond the arc across those two games.
The Bulls will be mostly healthy, but will be without Lonzo Ball. They could also be without Ayo Dosunmu, but even if both players are out, they still have plenty of point guards to fill in.
This game and tomorrow night’s game should both be easily winnable for the Pistons. If the Bulls get hot from beyond the arc, they will make it closer than it should be, but the Pistons are the better team and shouldn’t have any issues with this version of the Bulls even if Nikola Vucevic scares me.
The Pistons are fully healthy and had a game to integrate Dennis Schroder into the rotation. It will still take a few more games to get into a rhythm, but having somebody to take some pressure off of Cade Cunningham handling the ball will help for getting more production out of the bench, and keep Cade fresher down the stretch.
The Pistons definitely cannot look past the Bulls, as they avoided a near disaster on Sunday against the Hornets after getting complacent after getting out to a huge lead early. The Bulls are a better team than the one the Hornets had on the floor on Sunday, so if the Pistons display a similar effort, the Bulls are better equipped to take advantage of it.
Hopefully that game was a wake-up call and the Pistons can put the Bulls away early so they can save a little bit of energy for tomorrow night’s game.
Lineups
Chicago Bulls (22-31): Josh Giddey, Kevin Huerter, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Nikola Vucevic
Detroit Pistons (27-26): Cade Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Question of the Day
What will be the Pistons record at the All Star Break?
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...all-star-2024-2025-nba-season-cade-cunningham
Detroit Pistons
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Submit your questions for The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025/2/13/24364928/pindown-detroit-pistons-podcast
Tune in live Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET to join in on the conversation.
It’s mailbag time!
Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast where we’ll discuss the past week of Pistons basketball. Submit your question to the comments section here or on X/Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @blakesilverman.
Join us live on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET for the show where we’ll talk through the past week of Pistons’ basketball, including everything trade deadline. What are your first impressions of Dennis Schroder? Can the Pistons hold onto the No. 6 seed in the East after the All-Star break? How will Cade Cunningham do in the 3-point contest and All-Star Game?
Plus, The Pindown has a phone line where you can leave a message and hear your voice on the show. Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message around 45 seconds or less so we can fit everyone into the show.
The podcast will be uploaded to all audio platforms the following morning.
The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast Vitals:
When: Friday February 14th at 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Detroit Bad Boys YouTube Channel
How to submit questions:
- Detroit Bad Boys Website: Comment section of the weekly Pindown episode articles.
- Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message to 45 seconds or less.
- Twitter: @detroitbadboys, @blakesilverman or @therealwesd3
- YouTube: Chat section of The Pindown live recording — Subscribe here
As always, leave any questions or topics you want to be discussed in the comment section below.
Listen to the show’s recording the following morning wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Last Week’s Show:
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025/2/13/24364928/pindown-detroit-pistons-podcast
Detroit Pistons
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Pistons vs Clippers final score: Detroit beats LAC to win seventh straight
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...ore-detroit-beats-lac-to-win-seventh-straight
David Reginek-Imagn Images
Detroit has won seven straight games for the first time since 2014-15.
Beginning a long stretch of home games, the Detroit Pistons kicked off their first of four at Little Caesars Arena by hosting the Los Angeles Clippers. With the Clippers having almost the same record as the Pistons, this was an important game to get a win and show that the Eastern Conference teams are just as strong as the Western Conference.
The Pistons are playing as strong as any team in the NBA right now. JB Bickerstaff has these guys in sync and playing their best basketball of the season with roughly 25 games left. They don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon as Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons took it to the Clippers 106-97 tonight to stretch their win to streak to seven.
Detroit was the better team tonight. When they would extend their lead, the Clippers would find a way to get back into the game, but the Pistons would never give the lead back. Cade was the best player on the floor once again and he was in complete control. He was incredibly efficient and has been playing at an All-NBA the past several games. Tonight was no different.
The game started off slow with both teams struggling offensively, though, the refs owe the Pistons two points as they missed an obvious foul call on Kris Dunn after tripping Cade Cunningham on a drive. Sixth-Man-of-the-Year candidate Malik Beasley brought the offense off the bench and Detroit ended the quarter on a 10-0 run behind two Beasley threes. The Pistons took a 23-17 lead at the end of the first.
The Clippers didn’t waste any time getting back into the game as they opened the second quarter on a run 14-3. Both teams continued to exchange leads, but Detroit’s playmaking stood out to me. Duren continues to be an intriguing playmaking hub and Cade had a flashback to his quarterback days with a 20-yard dart to Ausar Thompson in transition. With five seconds left, Cunningham hit a three to take a 51-49 lead entering halftime.
Cade led the way for Detroit with 14 points behind three three-pointers and Tobias followed with 11 points. The Clippers top scorers were Kris Dunn (11) and James Harden (10). It was a high-turnover half for both teams. Cade was on triple-double watch after adding five rebounds and five assists as well.
Detroit turned it up in the third quarter. Cade made a beautiful behind-the-back move to set up a lob to Jalen Duren to take a 70-67 lead that forced a Tyronn Lue timeout:
A few minutes later, Ausar followed that up with a lefty hammer on Derrick Jones Jr off a baseline inbounds play:
The Pistons took their largest lead of the game at 10 with a Dennis Schroeder finger roll with three seconds left in the quarter. Detroit had a 85-75 lead heading into the fourth.
The Clippers weren’t going away. After a few Cade turnovers, the Clips went on a 10-2 run to bring the game within two. Ausar was making big plays on both ends of the court as Detroit slowly extended their lead. Cunningham hit the dagger three with a minute left to put the Pistons up 10. Detroit would go on to win 106-97.
Cade Cunningham nearly had a triple-double with 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. He did it efficiently on only 22 shots while also shooting 12 free throws. He connected well from deep hitting four of his nine attempts.
Tobias added 20 points and was the steady vet tonight who was dependable to get a bucket when the offense struggled to find an easy look. He hit multiple post fadeaways and had five rebounds. Duren was a beast on the boards with 18 and Beasley hit three threes despite it feeling like a quiet night for him.
Ausar was truly in his Athletic Draymond role tonight. He finished with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, four steals, and two blocks. He was everywhere on the court. He had a couple strong finishes at the rim, played the passing lanes well, and showed off his verticality on both sides of the floor.
The Pistons have now won seven straight games for the first time since 2014-2015, and they are 21-9 since December 21st.
Detroit plays again Wednesday night when they host the Eastern Conference #2 seed in the Boston Celtics. Perhaps a playoff preview?
Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...ore-detroit-beats-lac-to-win-seventh-straight