Cade Cunningham had 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the host Detroit Pistons won their seventh straight by downing the Los Angeles Clippers, 106-97, on Monday night.
The Pistons matched their longest winning streak since the 2014-15 season.
Tobias Harris contributed 20 points, Jalen Duren powered for 12 points and 19 rebounds, and Ausar Thompson added 10 points with five steals.
James Harden led the Clippers with 18 points and 12 rebounds but also made seven turnovers. Derrick Jones Jr. supplied 15 points off the bench, while Ivica Zubac had 13 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
Los Angeles was once again missing two of its starters, as leading scorer Norman Powell (left patellar tendinopathy) and superstar forward Kawhi Leonard (left foot soreness) sat out.
By halftime, Cunningham had 14 points and five assists, and the Pistons emerged with a 51-49 lead. Harris added 11 points during a half that saw neither side led by more than six points.
The Clippers opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run. Nicolas Batum provided the spark, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers before setting up a Bogdan Bogdanovic bucket.
The Pistons regained the advantage at 66-64 with 5:25 remaining in the quarter on a Harris jumper. Cunningham then scored on a layup and set up Duren for an alley-oop dunk before hitting two free throws to build a five-point Detroit lead.
After the Clippers pulled within a point, the Pistons closed out the quarter with a 10-1 run. Thompson got it started with a dunk. Harris supplied a dunk and a 3-pointer before Dennis Schroder finished off the third with a floater.
Cunningham’s basket with 9:13 left in the fourth gave Detroit an 87-76 lead. Los Angeles scored the next seven points, including a three-point play from Amir Coffey. The Pistons answered with field goals from Thompson and Cunningham.
Malik Beasley’s corner 3-pointer gave Detroit a 96-84 lead with 2:53 lead. Cunningham put the game away on a 3-pointer with 1:06 to play.
–Field Level Media
