NBA: Cade Cunningham, Pistons surge past Magic

Cade Cunningham scored 29 points and dished out 11 assists to lead the visiting Detroit Pistons to a 106-92 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Cunningham also grabbed six rebounds as the league-leading Pistons overcame early shooting struggles to dominate the final two quarters, outscoring Orlando 31-18 and 25-17.

Tobias Harris added 23 points for Detroit, while Jalen Duren recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Ausar Thompson contributed nine points, 11 boards, and three blocks.

For Orlando, Paolo Banchero led the team with 24 points and 11 assists. Tristan da Silva scored 19 points, and Desmond Bane added 17 points along with seven assists.

The Magic struggled with rebounds and turnovers early, taking 11 fewer shots than Detroit, but still led 26-23 after the first quarter as the Pistons shot just 9 of 28, including 0 of 10 from three-point range. Orlando extended the lead to nine points while Detroit missed its first 15 three-point attempts.

By halftime, Cunningham had 15 points and five assists, while Banchero had 17 points, making 12 of 14 free throws, giving Orlando a 57-50 lead.

Detroit’s defense tightened in the second half, and their shooting improved. Harris hit a three-pointer to give the Pistons their first lead of the night, 67-65, with 6:44 left in the third quarter. Cunningham added 10 points and Harris nine in the period, while Orlando shot 7 of 21 and was outrebounded 14-9.

Despite a late three from da Silva, Detroit controlled the quarter and led 81-75 heading into the fourth. Bane tied the score at 83 early in the final period, but the Pistons responded with a 14-2 run to pull away 97-85. Two Banchero baskets, including a dunk, narrowed the gap to 101-92 with 1:17 remaining, before Thompson scored the final five points to seal the win.

—Field Level Media/Reuters