Cade Cunningham registered his seventh double-double of the season, but it was a late block that helped seal the victory for the Detroit Pistons Thursday on the road against the Toronto Raptors.
Cunningham also recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 38 minutes of work in the 108-106 victory. He became just the fifth Pistons rookie to record multiple games with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
The Pistons, who led by as many as 18 points, held just a three-point advantage with 14.2 seconds left. The Raptors opted to get a quick layup after a timeout to cut the deficit to one point, but Cunningham was there to reject the attempt by Gary Trent Jr.
Cunningham read the play the entire way to block the shot.
When (Jerami Grant) took the charge, and they didn’t call it, I knew it was going to be awkward and he was going to try to get it up high so I feel like I had good timing on it. I saw it coming so I went and got it.
Toronto recovered the ball following the block, and a 3-pointer by Scottie Barnes fell short. Precious Achiuwa was fouled rebounding the miss by Barnes but only made one free throw as the Pistons held on to defeat the Raptors for the third time this season.
Massive block by Cade Cunnigham, the Pistons will win!!!
They own the Raptors lmao pic.twitter.com/sekokHijJG— DGC (@Itamar_17_10) March 4, 2022
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey praised Cunningham prior to the contest for having that “it” factor. He credited Cunningham for his clutch play throughout the season, and that was once again on display on Thursday for the Pistons.
With the victory, the Pistons have now won four out of their last six games. Included in that span are some impressive over the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets.
Cunningham liked how the Pistons stayed engaged to pull out the win.
I think it just shows our togetherness more than anything. Toronto had all of its fans in there tonight. They really helped the Raptors get their momentum a couple of times and our bench and everyone was super engaged and that helps us end runs and get the game back even.
Behind the play of Cunningham, and several others, the Pistons appear to be playing some of their best basketball of the season. They have struggled with closing out opponents but look to be a team gelling at the right time with the season winding down.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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