Cunningham, Duren chemistry not enough when stamps fall to hawks

On By Littum

Detroit – Each generation of Detroit Pistons had an era that defined them. The bad boys were marked by the Hall of Fame Backcourt -pairing by Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas, while GOIN ‘TO WORK -The era was characterized by Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton.

After five consecutive seasons in the shield, the pistons have still not found their next big tandem. However, this season, however, Cade Cunningham and Jalen are beginning to establish themselves as Detroit’s next prominent duo. Cunningham and Duren set an early tone against Atlanta Hawks Monday night by connecting three of Pistons’ first five offensive belongings.

However, Cunningham-Duren pairing was not enough to help the stamps avoid a 132-130 loss for Hawks.

“That’s my brother,” said Duren. “He is a guy that I consistently communicate with and many times, it’s not even about basketball. We’ve built our chemistry and he trusts me. He calls me his tight end. Every time your quarterback throws it to you, You need to be ready to catch it.

Cunningham recorded a double-double at 30 points and 14 assists, while the duration contributed 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The couple combined to four Alley-ups all night.

Cunningham spiked a 3-point field goal to bring the stamps within four points (121-117) with 4:40 back in the fourth quarter. A few belongings later, Tobias Harris (22 points) associated with Ausar Thompson to a spawning oop leaving Detroit after 124-122.

Box score: Hawks 132, stamps 130

Dur’s block on de’handre Hunter (20 points) resulted in a Fastbreak bucket for Harris. On Detroit’s next offensive possession, Harris knocked a middle-class jumper down to give Pistons a 126-124 lead with 2:30 back.

With 59 seconds left, the pistons were down 129-128. Cunningham tried to move toward the curve but lost possession of the ball. His revenue allowed Trae Young to give Hawks a 130-128 lead after making one of two free kicks.

However, that came out of timeout, Cunningham scored on a driving layup to tie the game at 130, leaving 26.5 seconds. He scored 12 points in the last period. On Hawks’ last offensive possession, however, Young scored a game -winning basket with a field goal over Malik Beasley. Young people led Atlanta with 34 points and nine assists.

“I think Malik (Beasley) did a good job defensively,” said coach JB Bickerstaff. “Again, Trae Young is one of the best scorers in our league, but Malik was upon him. … strongly disputed. He just made another shot.”

While the continuity between Cunningham and Duren was on display, it was a total subpar evening for Detroit (25-25) as a whole.

The pistons began to fall afterwards in the second quarter when Atlanta Outscorated Detroit 39-29. During this time, the pistons went almost eight minutes without a field goal, enabling Hawks to exploit their match and expand their lead to 14 points (71-57) by 1:43 back in the period.

Dyson Daniels (19 points) scored 13 in the quarter to help Hawks end their eight-game losing series, which has diminished their once promising season.

“(My) Message to the guys and the experiences we continue to review this is when teams fight, you can’t afford to play with them and give them life,” Bickerstaff said.

The stamps drew Atlanta 73-64 at the break, a deficit that once seemed unlikely after their quick start to the game. At the end of the first quarter, Detroit held a lead of 35-30.

In their third match of four days, however, fatigue could have begun to affect the pistons at the end of the first half. To get back in the game, the third quarter started with a 20-4 race. Detroit’s strong start to the second half led to an 86-84 lead at the 7: 01 mark, but the pistons could not maintain their momentum until late in the fourth quarter.

Malik Beasley had one of her best shooting performances this season by nailing 6-of-10 attempts behind the arch for 18 points.

“I thought defensively, in the first half we just weren’t good,” Bickerstaff said. “We weren’t locked inside; we weren’t engaged. We gave them comfort and rhythm, and then they obviously have guys who can play. If you do that into that type of game, they just have to make a game more and they did Tonight.

Observations and notes vs. Hawks

stamps fail to earn tiebreaker against Hawks: By losing to the hawks, the pistons missed the opportunity to secure a draw against Atlanta. However, Detroit is now 2-1 against Hawks this season, creating a must-win situation for their series final on February 23 at the State Farm Arena.

Ausar Thompson continues to show his two -way potential: Ausar Thompson proved why NBA honored him as a rising star because of his two-way potential of 13 points, four assists, three stealing and a block.

stamps into consideration at monthly price: Before the game, the NBA announced the winners of the January coach of the month. Although he did not receive the recognition, Bickerstaff was nominated for the award of the Eastern Conference after leading the stamps to a 10-6 record. Ime Udoka of Houston Rockets and Rick Carlisle from Indiana Pacers were awarded the coach of the month for their respective conferences.

Up next

The stamps continue their six-game home state Wednesday night when they welcome Cleveland Cavaliers to Motor City. They will then host the Philadelphia 76ers Friday before closing their home against Charlotte Hornets on the Super Bowl on Sunday. Tipoff between the pistons and cavaliers is intended for 19:00

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