Mavericks Unable to Slow Cade Cunningham in Road Loss Against Pistons: “He’s a Wonderful Talent”

Coming off a clutch victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, the Dallas Mavericks were handily defeated 117-102 by the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Newly named an All-Star, Cade Cunningham proved too much to handle as he dropped 40 points, six rebounds, and four assists to set the tone.

Without Luka Dončić, the Mavericks struggled to produce offensively, shooting 37 of 87 (42.5%) overall and 11 of 33 (33.3%) from deep. However, the team executed well from the free-throw line, making 17 of 21 attempts, resulting in an 81% conversion rate. Turning it over 16 times led to a 27-6 disadvantage in points off turnovers.

Kyrie Irving was expectedly the Mavericks’ leading scorer with 28 points, but he took 23 shots to get there. P.J. Washington had another big performance, delivering 2 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks with an efficient night. Dallas gained 16 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks from Daniel Gafford.

Still, on a minutes restriction, Klay Thompson scored 10 of his 13 points in the first quarter while chipping in another four points and four rebounds. The rest of the Mavericks struggled to contribute offensively, combining to score 23 points while shooting a combined 9 of 29 (31%).

Cunningham’s remarkable performance was supported by Jalen Duren’s 16 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists. Tobias Harris chipped in another 17 points and three blocks, while Marcus Sasser rounded out Detroit’s double-figure scorers with 10. The Pistons overcame shooting just 9 of 35 (25.7%) from three in this victory by scoring 62 points in the paint and outscoring Dallas 27-15 in second-chance points.

“I just thought they were the more physical team tonight, and we can’t really afford to let that happen right now,” Washington said. “They killed us on the glass and just wanted it more on that end. We have to get better and can’t give up easy second-chance points like that.”

Detroit Pistons Respond to Dallas Mavericks’ Strong Start

The Mavericks emphasized playing through Thompson and Gafford early. Gafford scored in the paint multiple times, including a rim roll that led to an emphatic dunk. He also attacked Jalen Duren in the post for a right-hand hook. Dallas was up 7-4 after Thompson drilled a catch-and-shoot three coming off a stagger.

The Pistons tied it up using a corner three from Harris, but the Mavericks responded in what proved to be their best stretch of the game. Thompson continued his strong start, using a handoff from Gafford to get into mid-range for a pull-up. After Harris missed a mid-range attempt in response, Thompson found Washington in transition for a corner three by holding it on the catch before making the extra pass. Between Gafford making two free throws after drawing a foul on Duren and Thompson sinking a deep three, Dallas built a 17-7 advantage.

Cunningham knew it was time to get the Pistons back on track. He pulled up from three and drilled it to make it a single-figure game again. Part of the Mavericks’ issue was Irving’s early shooting struggles. When Dallas could have maintained separation, Irving missed his three shot attempts in the period. He missed his first attempt in response to Cunningham’s three.

However, after Olivier-Maxence Prosper blocked Cunningham on a drive, the Mavericks pushed the ball to create an advantage. A missed shot led Thompson to find Prosper after an offensive rebound, who made an easy finish after using a shot fake to get two defenders in the air. Thompson later attacked on the break and played through contact for a layup. Dallas was up 21-10 after this sequence with 5:34 remaining.

Detroit fired back with a 7-0 run, beginning with Duren finishing an emphatic alley-oop after Cunningham patiently waited a step into the three-point line for a long pass to develop—allowing Duren to get behind the defense. Part of this occurred because Dallas didn’t have a traditional rim protector on the floor as Washington filled the small ball center role amid ongoing injuries.

With Dallas going small, the Pistons posed significant challenges. Duren grabbed offensive rebounds, and a larger wing like Harris could get to favorable spots and score by shooting over the top. Dallas wasn’t winning on the margins. After Fontecchio missed a corner three on a Cunningham spray-out pass, Duren pulled down the offensive rebound. Instead of getting a body on the shooter, Dinwiddie stood straight up and watched, resulting in a late reaction to Fontecchio’s cut and an easy finish. These types of inexcusable errors plagued the Mavericks.

During the late first quarter, Washington attacked the paint for a finish, but Harris answered with a jumper near the block. Washington then sank a catch-and-shoot three, but a Gortat screen by Duren freed up Cunningham to finish a reverse layup with Washington sealed off. The lack of an interior presence was apparent. The Pistons continued to have answers for the Mavericks. After Dinwiddie got to the rim for a scoop finish on the other end, Malik Beasley drilled a deep three to force a Mavericks timeout, with Dallas up 28-24 and 2:18 left in the first quarter.

“Obviously, he’s a great player, an All-Star this year,” Washington said of Cunningham. “He’s one of the better players in our league; he’s been having a hell of a season, and he’s a wonderful talent. He’s from Dallas, so I’ve seen him grow up and I’m excited and proud of him to be where he is now… He has a total package at that age, which is special.”

Coming out of the timeout, Marshall helped get the Mavericks going after playing out of a handoff with Gafford. He used his size to get as deep as possible before a spin move in the non-restricted paint area, setting up a right-hand floater. Detroit answered with Fontecchio finding Harris after Dallas failed to communicate on a simple cross-screen, leading to a wide-open dunk. A simple switch call could have prevented this sequence with Kessler Edwards having the size and length to contain Harris if the pass managed to connect.

Marshall initiated the offense on the next trip down the floor, leading to Irving missing a pull-up jumper, but Gafford cleaned it up with a putback. This was a rare win on the margins, but it unraveled. Edwards turned it over on a bad pass, then fouled Sasser, leading to a perfect pair of free throws. Edwards then missed a three, wasting the Mavericks’ final possession of the period.

Despite the struggling end to the first quarter, the Mavericks still held a narrow 32-28 advantage. It was the only quarter Dallas would win in this game, as the team was outscored 89-70 for the rest of the night.

Detroit Pistons Closed the First Half Strong

The Pistons continued to have frequent answers for the Mavericks, preventing Dallas from building a meaningful run to retake the lead at any point in this game. Irving scored early with a turnaround jumper after struggling to get going in the first quarter. However, Beasley answered Irving’s jumper with another three.

Exum started the second quarter and often initiated the offense. He even found Gafford on a drive playing out of double drag—using a wraparound pass for him to catch and finish quickly. Beasley was on a heater early in the second quarter, using multiple deep makes to keep the Pistons’ run going. He missed a potential go-ahead three, but Paul Reed cleaned it up to tie it at 36-36 after a putback.

Irving blew by rookie Ron Holland to get to the rim after being guarded far off the three-point line. However, Dallas continued to have defensive breakdowns, giving Holland revenge on a weak-side cut leading to a dunk. The Mavericks committed to blitzing Cunningham but left the weak-side corner completely unattended, resulting in an easy dunk for Holland on the backdoor cut.

“He just plays at his own pace and you can tell he has a confidence about him this year that’s different than last year,” Irving said of Cunningham. “You can tell he’s worked on his craft, and he’s the leader of those guys over there. He’s been through a lot in our league, just with the ups and downs and bumps and bruises, but he’s responded well. Really happy for him that he finally got his nod too for the All-Star Game. It’s good stuff.”

A scoring spree continued for Irving, who attacked the paint for a tough reverse layup. These two teams continued to have answers for each other as Cunningham tied it again by getting to the rim for a dunk. The Mavericks’ thin margin for error began to haunt them again. Gafford and Irving were disconnected on a short roll exchange, leading to a fast break for the Pistons. Fontecchio drew a foul on a finish attempt, giving Detroit the lead (42-40) after making both attempts with 8:29 before halftime.

Cunningham patiently attacked the paint in pick-and-roll to extend the Pistons’ lead to four. Gafford answered by finishing in the paint on consecutive plays, tying it up at 44-44 with 6:57 left before halftime. The Mavericks continued to struggle with containing the paint, giving up a putback to Duren again.

Dallas played through Thompson to create an early advantage, but using most of the shot clock, Irving beat the buzzer on a floater attacking off the catch. He later sank a step-back three while being guarded by Cunningham.

Dallas led 50-46, but Detroit scored the game’s following four points. Cunningham finished at the rim, and Duren made two free throws. The Mavericks seemingly felt the need to get a big on the court but had already played Gafford plenty of minutes. Kylor Kelley checked in midway through the second quarter. Despite having a 7-footer on the floor, this ultimately didn’t provide much impact for the Mavericks. This was when not having any of Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Maxi Kleber (right foot fracture), or Dwight Powell (right hip strain) proved to be challenging.

A technical free throw by Irving and Washington recovering the ball after getting stripped on a drive for a layup gave Dallas a brief three-point edge. Former Maverick Tim Hardaway Jr., who finished with nine points and five rebounds, fired back with a game-tying catch-and-shoot three. Duren bullied Kelley down low in the post for an easy jump hook so the Pistons could pull ahead.

“JD is an all-around talent. If you look back over the past month to what he has been doing, he’s played with a consistent effort and been all over the floor,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Duren. “I think it’s one of those things that goes unsaid about him is his ability to pass the ball and play make. We’ve seen him in situations push the ball the length of the court and make the right read, whether it’s a pass or a finish. We’ve seen him hit cutters and tight spaces. He’s a very good all-around basketball player, and I think over the past month, he’s found the consistent button and been impactful for us.”

The Mavericks had turnover issues. Ausar Thompson stripped Gafford, leading to a fastbreak finish for Marcus Sasser. Detroit led 57-53 with under three minutes left. Detroit’s lead grew to 60-53 after Hardaway drew a foul on a floater, made the first free throw, and then Duren emphatically finished a putback on the offensive rebound.

Washington finished in transition after a steal to spark some momentum. He continued it by stepping into a transition catch-and-shoot jumper off a pass from Irving. Cunningham got into mid-range to grow the Pistons’ lead to 62-58 for the final points of the first half. Gafford had a stretch of highlight-reel-worthy blocks—first against Duren at the rim, then against Thompson to prevent Detroit from scoring.

“I thought he had five great blocks. I thought there was a sequence there right before halftime where he blocked a shot, and we missed a layup,” Kidd said of Gafford. “P.J. [Washington] had a good look. It just didn’t go down. I don’t think we were very good in our transition game. We have to be better. We had a lot of opportunities and we just didn’t capitalize on that tonight.”

Detroit’s Momentum Continues After Halftime

While the Mavericks scored 27 points in the third quarter, they gave up 31. Despite this, Dallas positioned itself decently to have a viable chance of rallying in the fourth quarter. Irving scored 14 of his 28 points in this period, but the offense was too inefficient to make a significant run.

Dinwiddie began the second half with a layup, but Harris responded with a short-range turnaround. Thompson then found Irving for a catch-and-shoot three, but the Mavericks’ inability to get stops proved costly. It didn’t help that Dallas had a lengthy cold streak offensively, with Irving struggling to get going off the dribble. The Pistons grew their lead to 71-63 after Cunningham pulled up for three, then Dallas turned it over, leading to Cunningham’s throw-ahead pass to Hardaway for a transition layup.

Irving got it going with a corner three. However, Cunningham continued to pose problems for the Mavericks with a running floater on a pick-and-roll drive. Thompson made it a one-possession game with a transition three and had a chance to tie it on another attempt but missed it. Cunningham kept attacking the paint, using his size to finish at the rim. Cunningham continued to squash the Dallas run after making it a seven-point game with a baseline jumper.

“I thought the second half was great. Gameplan– we tightened up on it. We made sure that we showed crowds to Kyrie [Irving] and Klay [Thompson],” Cunningham explained. “They hurt us in the beginning of the game. We just made adjustments and rebounded the ball. I think that was the main thing. We came up with a lot of 50/50 balls that were huge for us.”

Harris hit a step-back in mid-range after Thompson tried to wall him up in the post. On the floor, Thompson made an improbable, shot-clock-beating baseline turnaround after getting stuck late in the clock with a dead dribble—it was later ruled a shot-clock violation. After Harris made a pair of free throws, Detroit was up 81-70, giving Detroit its first double-figure lead of the night.

The Pistons continued to command the game as Harris emphatically blocked Marshall on a floater attempt. Hardaway made it a 13-point game after drilling a tightly contested corner three, which developed after Prosper emphatically blocked him on a floater. Reed flashed into a mid-range jumper to grow the Pistons’ lead to 15.

Marshall ended the drought with a corner three, then after a few empty Pistons possessions, Irving used a euro-step in transition as Hardaway tried to take the charge, creating a much-needed and-one. The Mavericks trailed 86-77 with 2:55 remaining in the third quarter. However, Cunningham did his best to end another Mavericks surge, drilling another pull-up three to put Detroit up by 12.

“I think he has a great understanding of the moment,” Bickerstaff said of Cunningham. “To be voted as an All-Star last night and then to come out and have this performance, the point is proven. He understands that and he has the ability to act on it and that’s what I think is most impressive. Some people might be aware of the situation, but to have the ability to go out and function at the level that he functioned at tonight was impressive.”

Irving continued aggressively attacking, getting to the free throw line after drawing contact on a layup attempt. He made both shots, followed by Washington making two after being fouled off the ball with the Mavericks already in the bonus. The Mavericks cut the Pistons’ lead to 89-83 after Irving played off two feet and converted a floater. Cutting into the Detroit lead before the start of the fourth quarter was a must, but Dallas could have closed the period better.

Cunningham answered with a spin move against the smaller Hardy, then converted a floater despite a tight contest from Gafford. Irving missed a short-range jumper, ending the Mavericks’ momentum, but a missed three by Beasley gave Dallas a chance to cut into the deficit again. Marshall missed a corner three, then followed it up with a floater after the offensive rebound.

Closing the quarter with a defensive stop would have given the Mavericks a two-possession game to start the fourth quarter. Instead, Cunningham dropped Gafford in pick-and-roll before getting to the rim for a contact finish. Detroit was up 93-85 entering the final period.

Pistons’ Final Push to Seal the Victory

The Mavericks did not execute well enough in the fourth quarter to have a chance of winning. They scored only 17 points and shot 5 of 15 (33.3%), turning the ball over six times and giving up eight offensive rebounds. However, they had a legitimate chance early on but failed to build on that initial success.

“That’s one of the things that we talked about coming into this game,” Bickerstaff said. “When you go back and look at our wins this month, it’s our defense that’s carried us. Whenever we get away from that, we put ourselves in tough positions. We wanted to make sure that tonight, we came out and tried our best defensively. To hold that team to 17 points in the fourth quarter speaks to what we’re capable of. They are one of the best team offensive teams in this league.

“Our identity always starts on the defensive end of the floor, and we’ve got to make sure we don’t get away from that, and tonight through the last three quarters, I thought we showed who we are defensively,” Bickerstaff continued.

The period began with Exum using double-drag screens to get downhill before completing a reverse layup. The Mavericks got a stop using a Gafford chase down block in transition. With Holand being left open in the corner for a missed three, the Mavericks had a chance to keep building momentum. Washington makes it a one-possession game with a catch-and-shoot three, cutting the Pistons’ lead to 93-90.

Beasley missed a three, setting up a drive for Exum. He got fouled on a right-hand layup, landing on the wrist he had spent months recovering from surgery. He split the pair of free throws to make it a two-point game. What happened next ultimately felt like the turning point where the Mavericks unraveled.

“I’m mad at myself for doing it, but I feel like it’s a hat’s off to me and the rehab team,” Exum said about his hard fall. “It shows we did our job, and I can come back and fall on it and still get back up. So, no fear going into the next game. Just come back stronger.”

Exum had it stolen by Holand, leading to a transition dunk. Exum then challenged Holland right back by attacking the rim but came up empty. The Mavericks subbed him out for Irving, facing a 95-91 deficit and over nine minutes left to mount a rallying effort. With 9:25 left to play, Irving had more than enough time to lead the unit to victory, but the group could not do so.

Harris shot over a defender using a step-back along the baseline to boost the Pistons. Marshall worked his way into the paint, setting up Gafford for a catch and a foul-drawing finish attempt. The foul paid off for Detroit, with Gafford splitting them.

As the game required half-court execution from both teams, Sasser made a series of floaters to sustain the Pistons’ lead. The first put Detroit ahead 99-92. Irving drew a foul on a layup and made his free throws, but Sasser responded with another floater.

Irving and Sasser exchanged missed threes, but Detroit’s timely plays on the margins didn’t help the Mavericks. Harris missed a hook after a drop step, but the Pistons made up for it with a putback. While Washington managed a layup, Sasser continued to pose problems for the Mavericks, using another floater. With the Pistons leading 105-96 with over six minutes left, Dallas needed to tighten up, or the game would fall out of reach—which ultimately was what transpired.

Coming out of a timeout, Cunningham drew a foul at the rim again, continuing his big performance. After Cunningham made both, Detroit was up by double figures (107-96). Sasser found Duren on a pick-and-roll lob again, and the Pistons were up 109-96. Down the stretch, it felt as though Detroit had an answer anytime Dallas made a play. With the Pistons’ top defenders on the floor to close the game, it was a significant challenge for the Mavericks to create advantages.

Dallas trailed by as many as 17 down the stretch. With 4:01 left to play, the Mavericks took out their starters—waiving the white flag. The Mavericks had already run heavy minutes for Irving, Washington, and Gafford, and with a bleak chance of pulling off a comeback, the cost-benefit analysis was to shift to focus on the next game.

“Give Detroit credit. They’re physical. We made a run in there in the fourth, and we just couldn’t get over the hump. […]  just being able to get the rebound. We didn’t finish plays tonight, but I give them credit. Detroit was really good. Again, those guys played minutes, and we got an early game on Saturday. So we got to be careful here of running guys minutes up.”

Dallas Mavericks’ Guard Rotation is Complicated

With Exum playing 14 minutes in his season debut, the Mavericks’ guard rotation is complicated despite Dončić being sidelined. Outside of Irving, Dinwiddie was the clear leader for role player backcourt minutes with 22, finishing with five points and four assists, but shooting just 2 of 7 (28.6%) overall. Quentin Grimes only played 10 minutes, and Jaden Hardy logged only seven.

“ Those are different, all different point guards. We’ve asked Spencer to be a playmaker. We’ve maybe shut down his engines as a scorer, so we want to get him back to scoring. Exum sets the table for everybody, so hopefully, we can get more minutes with him on the floor to be able to do that.”

Beyond the point guards, the Mavericks have many players on the wing to account for in terms of minutes. Grimes went scoreless in his 10 minutes but only received one shot attempt. Meanwhile, Hardy was deployed to provide a spark but missed his two shots. There just wasn’t much room for them to make a significant impact.

“Yeah, we have a lot of players available, and managing minutes is a challenge. Tonight, it was Q that had to sit, “Kidd said. “We were hoping Hardy could provide a spark for us, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen tonight. With Marshall and others, we have many guards but not a lot of bigs. This means not everyone can play 15 to 20 minutes every game; sometimes, someone has to sit out.”

Based on Kidd’s perspective, Hardy’s outlook will not improve after Dončić returns.

“Hardy is another scorer—right now, we need guys to be able to play make. I think we got the scoring part when 77 [Dončić] comes back,” Kidd explained. “Someone’s definitely got to sit because we got the scoring and playmaking. And so there will be less minutes for some of those guys.”

Looking Ahead

The Mavericks continue their five-game road trip with a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, with a 2:30 p.m. CST tipoff.