First-time All-Star Cade Cunningham scored 40 points, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 117-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, ending their three-game losing streak.
Tobias Harris added 17 points, and Jalen Duren contributed 16 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists. Marcus Sasser chipped in with 10 points.
Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 28 points. P.J. Washington had 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Daniel Gafford added 16 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks. Klay Thompson scored 13 points.
Detroit capitalized on 16 Dallas turnovers, scoring 27 points off them.
The Pistons played without Isaiah Stewart, who was suspended for one game after being ejected in Detroit’s loss to Indiana on Wednesday for accruing his sixth flagrant foul point.
Cunningham, named an All-Star earlier in the week, had 18 points and three assists as the Pistons took a 62-58 lead at halftime.
Duren contributed 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Detroit’s bench played a key role, outscoring Dallas’ reserves 21-4. The Pistons finished the first half with a 12-5 run, with Duren contributing four points, an assist, and a steal.
In the third quarter, the Pistons went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by Cunningham’s 3-pointer, taking a 71-63 lead.
After Thompson hit a 3-pointer to bring Dallas within three, the Pistons responded with a 13-1 run. Cunningham scored the first four points, followed by Harris adding four, and Tim Hardaway Jr. hitting a 3-pointer and adding an assist.
Dallas ended the quarter with a 14-7 run, with Irving scoring seven points, leaving the Mavericks trailing 93-85.
Dallas scored the first six points of the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer by Washington, making it 93-91. However, the Mavericks couldn’t take the lead. Ron Holland made a steal and dunk to give the Pistons some breathing room. Sasser later scored three baskets in just over two minutes, pushing the lead to 105-96.
Duren extended the lead to 111-96 with a dunk and two free throws. Cunningham added a layup after another steal by Hardaway, giving Detroit a 19-point lead.
