Detroit, MI

Tobias Harris shines in debut, Cade Cunningham does a lot in blowout for Detroit Pistons

Published

1 year ago

October 12, 2024

Press Room

Tobias Harris shines in debut, Cade Cunningham does a lot in blowout for Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have a clear “A” and “B” option on offense this season.

They took the floor together for the first time on Friday, as Tobias Harris made his preseason debut after missing the first two games with COVID-19. He and Cade Cunningham got whatever they wanted against the Phoenix Suns and spearheaded a blowout victory.

The Pistons defeated the Suns on the road, 109-91, to bounce back from a nine-point loss to the Suns in East Lansing on Tuesday to improve to 2-1 in preseason. Cunningham finished with a near-triple double — 25 points (on 10-for-16 shooting), 12 rebounds, nine assists and two steals. Harris tallied 22 points (on 8-for-13 shooting).

OWNER TALK: Tom Gores has new approach: ‘Not gonna put any limits on this team’

It was an encouraging performance that the team will look to build on with two exhibition games remaining before the regular-season opener on Oct. 23. As a team, the Pistons shot 48.8% despite hitting just 26.5% on 3-pointers. They also got another strong outing from Jaden Ivey, who scored 12 of his 16 points in the third period.

Kevin Durant (18 points) and Bradley Beal (17 points) led the way for Phoenix.

With Harris’ return, J.B. Bickerstaff debuted his third new starting lineup in as many games with he and Tim Hardaway Jr. replacing Simone Fontecchio and Malik Beasley. It was Hardaway’s second start, after getting the nod in the Pistons’ preseason opener Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Isaiah Stewart started the second half in place of Jalen Duren, who looked as though he might’ve tweaked something in his lower body during the first half.

Grand Rapids native Devin Booker missed the game for the Suns due to right ankle soreness. Bobi Klintman (right calf contusion) missed his third straight game for the Pistons.

Tobias Harris, Cade Cunningham form potent duo in win

Harris quickly asserted himself as a go-to option, and Cunningham followed suit.

The veteran forward scored the Pistons’ first seven points, and proceeded to make his first six shot attempts for an early 14 points in the first quarter. He scored in a variety of ways — a pair of pull-up jumpers from midrange, a pair of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and a steal and transition dunk.

After two quiet preseason games, Cunningham found his rhythm. He got going with a fast-break dunk after stealing the ball from Durant, then added a midrange jumper and a 3 later in the first quarter.

Cunningham produced one of the top highlights of the night with another play involving on Durant, blowing past him with a spin move before finishing through contact with his left hand to draw a foul. The ensuing free throw brought him to 14 points at the end of the first quarter, on 6-for-7 shooting.

The duo continued to knock down shots in the second. By halftime, they were responsible for 38 of the Pistons’ 65 points, on 15-for-22 shooting overall. They consistently generated their own looks and created for their teammates, accounting for eight of their 12 assists in the same span to help build a 15-point lead.

It was as good a debut as the Pistons could’ve hoped for for Harris, who missed time this week on the injury report but immediately looked comfortable with the scheme. In practice earlier this week, he talked about getting acclimated during practice, before COVID-19 forced him to take time off.

There are two preseason games remaining for him to settle in even further before the regular season opens.

“For a guy like myself, being able to catch and shoot, being able to find passing lanes for different guys for open looks and being aggressive and using my size and speed to punish the little guys, or blow by slower forwards, that’s been the name of the game my whole career,” he said Wednesday. “Obviously for us it’s just figuring out different guys, personnel-wise on the floor, how they complement each other and how we can make the game easy for each other.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions Sign QB Teddy Bridgewater To Backup Jared Goff in 2026

Published

12 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Lions Sign QB Teddy Bridgewater To Backup Jared Goff in 2026

The free agency tampering period has begun for the NFL, and the Detroit Lions are among the active teams acquiring players as they try to get back to the playoffs after they did not meet their own standard for last season.

On Monday, it was revealed that 2025 Lions backup quarterback Kyle Allen was heading to Buffalo, leaving another hole in the roster to fill. Nearly 24 hours later, that hole has been filled, as veteran quarterbackTeddy Bridgewater is heading back to Motown.

Bridgewater spent the 2023 season with Detroit, in what initially was going to be his final season in the league.

However, after coaching Miami Northwestern Senior High School to a state championship in Florida during the 2024 season, he announced he was planning to unretire, and Detroit picked him up for their push towards the top seed in the NFC.

Bridgewater then resigned as head coach at Miami Northwestern and signed with Tampa Bay to backup Baker Mayfield last season.

He appeared in four games last season, throwing 15 passes for the Buccaneers, which were his first NFL pass attempts since 2022.

Bridgewater is a safe option at backup quarterback in Detroit, as the former Rookie of the Year has had a steady career since entering the league with Minnesota out of Louisville in 2014.

Bridgewater returns to back up Jared Goff under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, as this is a situation where Detroit stuck with a player they knew. For Petzing, this is not the first time coaching Teddy Bridgewater, as he was an offensive assistant with Minnesota when they drafted Bridgewater in 2014.

A leg injury derailed his career after a Pro Bowl season in 2015, but he has started 37 games since the injury as a journeyman. Bridgewater left Minnesota and Drew Petzing and would overlap with Dan Campbell when the quarterback played for New Orleans in 2018 and 2019. In addition to Minnesota, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Detroit, Bridgewater has also played for Carolina, Denver, and Miami.

Detroit stuck with a safe and familiar option in Bridgewater, as a majority of their offense, alongside most of their offensive staff, have worked with the quarterback before. If Bridgewater is turned to in any situation, there will be full confidence in the Louisville product to make the right play.

NFL Draft Implications

This puts Detroit in a unique position when looking ahead towards the NFL Draft, as a popular mock draft pick for Detroit was taking a quarterback, with Cole Payton, Luke Altmyer, and Taylen Green all being among the names mentioned.

Bridgewater is an excellent mentor alongside Goff, but having three quarterbacks on the Lions roster after injury-riddled campaigns in the last two seasons may not be the wisest allocation of a roster spot.

For the time being, Detroit has their backup quarterback for the season, and there is not a better option than Bridgewater when it comes to familiarity and adaptability. While the former Pro Bowl quarterback has yet to throw a pass in Detroit, he has the familiairity and trust of the coaching staff to be a backup entering a pivotal year.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

$Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know$

Mourning continued and no suspects were in custody a week after the fatal shooting of Detroit restaurateur and nightlife figure Mikey “Mike B” Brown at the end of February.

Brown was the beloved figure behind the “Sloppy” brand of restaurants, and remembrances have been rolling in online since his death.

Here’s what to know:

Shooting outside cocktail bar

“Mike B” Brown, 51, and two others were shot about 4:30 a.m. Feb. 28 in the area of 15789 Schaefer, police previously said.

The two others were found in front of the location, and Brown was found across the street, police said.

Police have asked those with information on the shooting to come forward.

There were no suspects in custody and no further updates in the case as of Monday, March 9, according to a statement from the Detroit Police Department.

Updates on the conditions of the two other individuals shot were also not provided.

Who was Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?

Brown was a husband, a father of five and a restaurateur.

He opened Sloppy Chops Restaurant, a steakhouse, in 2020 on West McNichols off the Lodge Freeway and later opened a seafood restaurant called Sloppy Crab, which was renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. Brown previously had two clubs, as well.

His downtown dining spot served as an answer to questions on offerings for Black diners in the city’s renaissance. His other “Sloppy” location showcased successful reach beyond downtown and into the city’s neighborhoods. Brown was also a cultural figure in not only the world of dining, but in the nightlife, the Free Press reported.

When are funeral services for Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?

A family hour was set for 9 a.m. March 13 and a funeral was set for 10 a.m. March 13, both at Triumph Church –North Campus at 15600 J.L. Hudson Drive in Southfield.

What’s been the fallout since Mike ‘Mike B’ Brown’s death?

Outside of the community hurt, there’s also been calls for a crackdown on establishments that stay open into early morning hours in residential areas, ClickOnDetroit reports.

How to report tips on Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown’s shooting

Those with information tied to the triple shooting can contact the Detroit Police Department’s homicide unit at 313-596-2260 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up or DetroitRewards.tv.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions need backup QB as Kyle Allen to sign with Bills

Published

2 days ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Lions need backup QB as Kyle Allen to sign with Bills

The Detroit Lions will need to find a new backup quarterback. Kyle Allen, the 30-year-old ninth-year veteran, will reportedly sign with the Buffalo Bills for two years and $4.1 millions, according to ESPN, reuniting him with his former coordinator Joe Brady.

Allen, who came to the Motor City a year ago after inking a one-year deal, appeared in just three games and attempted two passes this past season as starter Jared Goff logged 98.5% of the team’s offensive snaps at quarterback.

Allen’s greatest contribution came in the preseason, when he forced the organization to give up on its experiment with Hendon Hooker.

In the competition for the No. 2 job, Allen outperformed Hooker and made the former 2023 third-round pick expendable by bringing his stunted development into sharp relief. While Hooker struggled to move the offense when he was in command, Allen thrived in his four auditions, spearheading one productive drive after another for the Lions. He completed 79.5% of his attempts, throwing for 401 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. All the while, he exhibited a good understanding of the Lions’ timing-based passing game, giving management the confidence he could – if needed – relieve Goff in a pinch.

“I feel very comfortable with him,” Campbell said last August.

But as it turned out, the Lions were never forced to call upon Allen. Goff, who hasn’t missed a start since Week 17 of the 2021 season, remained reliably present.

The Lions hope Goff’s iron-man streak will continue.

But if it for some reason ends, Allen is no longer there to replace him.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.

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