Is Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham the NBA’s most valuable player?
Omari and Bryce analyze the merits of Cade Cunningham as an MVP and which players may have a stronger case than the Pistons’ star player.
The Detroit Pistons’ slide continues.
They fell to the Miami Heat on the road, 121-110, on Sunday, March 8. It’s their fourth-consecutive loss – their first time dropping four in a row since opening the 2024-25 season 0-4. The Pistons (45-18) looked a step slow in the second half of a back-to-back, less than 24 hours after hosting the Brooklyn Nets at home Saturday.
Cade Cunningham returned from a one-game absence and carried the offense with 26 points and 10 assists. Jalen Duren also had a strong line, with 24 points and five rebounds. It was a poor night for the rest of the roster, as the Pistons shot 11-for-37 (29.7%) from 3. It also was a poor defensive night, as Detroit allowed Miami to shoot 47.3% overall and score 103 points through the first three quarters.
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Ausar Thompson (right ankle sprain) missed his second straight game. The Miami Heat were led by Tyler Herro (25 points) and Bam Adebayo (24 points, nine rebounds, six assists).
The loss drops the Pistons (47-18) to just 2½ games up on the Boston Celtics – who have gotten a big boost from the return of Jayson Tatum – in the East. Still, even with the skid, the Pistons have a 6½ game lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers as they go for their first Central Division title since 2007-08.
Next up for the Pistons
The Pistons will get a chance to avenge Saturday night’s 23-point collapse as they visit the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Extra). The Nets are contenders only for a top lottery pick. After that, the Pistons return home for a pair of games, against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
Pistons’ defensive slide continues
Defense has been the biggest driver of the Pistons’ success this season. But they’ve slipped since the All-Star break, and their losing streak reflects it.
The Heat’ century mark through the first three quarters marked an uncharacteristically poor showing for a team that’s held the second-best defensive rating for most of the season. The Heat did so while shooting 48.6% overall, and committing just four turnovers against a Pistons team that leads the league in steals.
Entering Sunday, the Pistons were a mere ninth in defensive rating in nine games since All-Star weekend. Their backslide started before Thompson’s injury, but his absence has accelerated it. They have given up at least 30 points in five consecutive quarters, dating back to Saturday’s fourth quarter against Brooklyn in which they surrendered 34 points.
Cunningham takes over after slow start
The Pistons took the floor roughly 20 hours after they wrapped up Saturday’s loss to the Nets, with a cross-country flight sandwiched in-between. In the first quarter, they came out flat and endured one of their worst starts of the season.
They trailed the Heat 34-16 by the end of the period, after knocking down just six of 22 field goal attempts (27.3%) and one of nine 3-pointers. Duren opened the game with a dunk at the 11:28 mark. More than five minutes passed before the next bucket – an alley-oop dunk for Duren from Cunningham – with 7:07 to go.
Cunningham was aggressive and responsible for the bulk of the Pistons’ offensive production by halftime. He scored 13 points and dished out five assists on 5-for-7 shooting in the second quarter, and scored or assisted 23 of their first 30 points.
He led a 10-2 Pistons run to open the second quarter and cut an 18-point deficit to 10, the closest they got the rest of the way. It included a pair of 3-pointers, the second a stepback over Adebayo. Cunningham powered a second run at the end of the second, finishing an off-balance euro step hook and another stepback 3-pointer over Adebayo, and two assists to Duren for two dunks, within the final 2:17.
The two-man game between Cunningham and Duren was the only consistent production the Pistons could generate. They combined for nearly half of their total offense — 50 points on 19-for-30 overall shooting. The rest of the roster combined shot 19-for-60 (31.7%).
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
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