PHILADELPHIA — At halftime of Sunday night’s game at Xfinity Mobile Arena, it looked like the Detroit Pistons would see their five-game winning streak come to a screeching halt.

The hometown Philadelphia 76ers were moving the basketball, hitting shots and playing with a verve that the Pistons — despite being the rested team, having not played the night before, as Philadelphia did — didn’t seem capable of matching.

But then the second half started. And behind a spectacular performance from Cade Cunningham — who scored 24 of his 26 points after the break, including a spectacular dunk over former Piston Andre Drummond in the game’s closing minutes — Detroit secured a 111-108 victory, givingthe franchise its best start to a season in a generation.

“It’s not hard to believe,” Cunningham said when asked whether he was surprised by Detroit’s 8-2 start only two years after its 14-68 season. “Even then, I couldn’t believe that we were in such a low.

“So to be here now, I feel like we’re where we’re supposed to be. We got a lot of guys that have always been big-time players, have always found ways to win at every level, and the NBA is tough. So we got here and we had to figure it out together. We were young, but now we’re getting our foot in and we’re figuring it out.”

It’s a lot easier to figure things out when your team is led by a player like Cunningham, who has backed up last season’s breakout performance — when he made his first All-Star and All-NBA appearances of his career and led Detroit to the playoffs — by leading the league in assists and putting up one impressive performance after another in the early going.

Cunningham had entered Sunday’s game having scored at least 30 points in three consecutive games and in four of Detroit’s last five. But after playing well below his standards in that first half — with just two points on 1-for-9 shooting from the field — he completely flipped things around, allowing Detroit to post its best record through 10 games since starting the 2005-06 season with a 9-1 record.

Cunningham’s 17 points in the third quarter immediately pulled Detroit back into the game after it trailed by as many as 13. And that was before his spectacular dunk over Drummond with just under two minutes to go helped in denying a late push by Tyrese Maxey (32 points, seven assists) and the 76ers (6-4).

“Man, he could get one of those every game,” Jalen Duren(21 points, 16 rebounds) said with a smile. “I don’t know why he doesn’t. But I love it. I mean, I’ve seen a lot of that. His game speaks for itself.

“I continue to say [he’s the] best guard in the NBA, so he going to make plays like that.”

Duren has also taken a massive step forward this season, with Sunday’s game marking the sixth time he has eclipsed 20 points this season. His 19.4 points per game this season dwarfs his averages from last season (11.8) and 2023-24 (13.8).

He has also played a significant role in Detroit’s third-ranked defense through 10 games, and he contributed another two steals and two blocks Sunday while continuing to be one of the league’s most imposing rebounders.

“He’s been dominant,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “The way he helps us protect the rim, the job he does on the boards, the threat that he is in the pick-and-roll and in the pocket … he’s a guy that can connect our group, too. He’s another guy who can facilitate and playmake, and then he’s an elite communicator, which has been a huge growth for him defensively. He’s talking to guys, always in the right spot, so I thought he was great again tonight.”

Cunningham and Duren also share the connection of having lived through that dismal 14-68 season two years ago, when it seemed like the Pistons were miles away from being relevant in the Eastern Conference. But as the league wakes up Monday morning, it will be Detroit looking down at the rest of the conference, and looking up at only one team — the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder — in the league standings.

“I think sky’s the limit,” Duren said when asked about his expectations. “I think we keep following J.B., keep working hard, keep defending, keep playing together … I think sky’s the limit at that point.”

For his part, Cunningham said that even when things were at their lowest ebb two seasons ago, his belief in himself kept him pushing him forward. It is that same belief that won’t allow him to be satisfied with only a good start to the season.

“Yeah, I mean, more than anything, my faith in myself, knowing that I was going to be successful in the NBA, knowing that I was going to do everything it took to be successful,” he said. “And I got lucky and fell into a franchise in the city that has the same mentality that I felt like it took for me to take the next step.

“So it has been a hell of a ride, man. It’s been a lot of ups and downs. It’s still early, though … I’m not above myself because we’re 8-2. I think this [success] is something that we all want, but we want something bigger than this. So we just want to keep our heads down and keep working.”br/]

Horizon League Men’s Soccer First Round

FINAL: Robert Morris 2, Milwaukee 1

Match Stats

With the match potentially headed to extra time, Robert Morris senior midfielder Anass Hadran buried a penalty kick in the 88th minute to lift the RMU men’s soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Milwaukee in the Horizon League Men’s Soccer Quarterfinal on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the defending champion Colonials improve to 6-3-7 overall and advance to the Semifinal Round of the Horizon League Championship for the second straight season.

“We try to manage the game wisely. Winning last year has given us more experience of how to handle being ahead,” Hardan said.

“We have a great group that fights every single minute. (Goalkeeper) Josh Lane had a big performance today saving Milwaukee’s PK — he’s a great goalkeeper.”

The Colonials will take on Cleveland State on Wednesday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Milwaukee came out strong and dictated possession early, firing six shots in the opening 15 minutes.

Senior captain William Dodzi Afawubo provided the spark that shifted momentum, ripping off three shots in a two-minute stretch to help RMU settle into the match. The Colonials’ back line tightened up and didn’t allow a single Milwaukee shot attempt over the final 30 minutes of the half.

RMU closed the opening 45 with seven shots — five from Afawubo alone.

Just one minute into the second half, the Colonials broke through. Senior Fabian Overkamp cleared a ball out of midfield and into the attacking third, where Kosi Udeh corralled it through traffic. Hadran joined the counter and received a feed from Udeh outside the left corner of the 18. He then curled a highlight-reel strike into the far corner, giving RMU a 1-0 lead.

In the 55th minute, Milwaukee earned a penalty after a player was taken down in the box.

Josh Lane guessed correctly, stretching out for a full extension save to keep the Panthers off the board.

However, moments later, Milwaukee equalized as Jack Bretzmann snuck behind the back line to level the match at 1-1. A minute later, Overkamp nearly restored the lead, but his shot rattled off the woodwork.

With the season on the line, both teams traded dangerous chances in the closing minutes. The decisive moment came in the 88th, when Riley Cotton drew a penalty in the box. Hadran stepped up to the spot and calmly slotted home the game-winner for his second of the day.

“We’re looking forward to our next match. We know it won’t be easy. We want to win again and make it back to the final.”

RMU travels to Cleveland, Ohio to face top-seeded Cleveland State in the Semifinal Round on Wednesday, November 12 at 4:00 PM ET at Krenzler Field.

The match will air live on ESPN+

 RMU MSOC MATCH NOTES

• RMU outshot Milwaukee 20–18; the Panthers held a 7–6 edge in shots on goal. Afawubo recorded a career-high seven shot attempts.
• Milwaukee earned five corner kicks, while RMU tallied two.
• Eight Colonials played all 90 minutes: Overkamp, Hadran, Udeh, Afawubo, Jaxson Lee, Kevin Gorbell, Victor Koah, and Miguel Dominguez.
• Lane finished with five saves, matching his postseason career-high (also five vs. Oakland in last year’s final).

HADRAN HEATING UP AT THE RIGHT TIME

The senior midfielder has now scored in four straight matches, totaling five goals and one assist over that span. Today marked his first career multi-goal game.

Hadran becomes just the third Colonial in program history to score multiple goals in a postseason match. The last to accomplish the feat was Jacek Przednowek, who recorded a hat trick in the 2005 NEC Final vs. Monmouth. Musa Shannon was the first, netting three in the 1996 NEC Semifinal vs. Mount St. Mary’s.

Hadran now owns six goals and four assists on the season. His goal total is tied for second in the Horizon League, and his 16 points rank fourth in the conference. In his career, he’s tallied 14 goals, 16 assists and 44 points.

POWER FORWARD

Udeh continues to be a key driver of RMU’s playoff push. The junior forward has produced a goal and two assists over the last two matches. His late-season form mirrors last year, when he scored in four straight league games to close the regular season.

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of ‘Miracle on the Mon’ — a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).