Cade Cunningham scores 26 as unbeaten Pistons beat LeBron James, 76ers 106-93

Final: Pistons 106, 76ers 93. Cade Cunningham scored 26 points, John Collins added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons stayed unbeaten with a wire-to-wire win over LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, Oct. 25, in Philadelphia.

Detroit improved to 3-0, and it did so in its first game without All-Star center Jalen Duren. Philadelphia lost for the first time this season and fell to 3-1, according to The Associated Press.

Pistons vs. 76ers score by quarter

Game timeline: how Detroit held on

• Fast start: The Pistons opened on a 15-1 run and stretched the lead to 56-35 in the second quarter, AP reported.
• LeBron’s push: James scored on three straight layups during a 9-0 run that cut the gap to 56-44 at halftime.
• Third quarter: Philadelphia got within five, but Cunningham answered with back-to-back 3-pointers, and Detroit led by 10 after three.
• Fourth quarter: The Sixers pulled within four, but Duncan Robinson hit a 3 that, in AP’s words, “sucked the air out” of the run. Philadelphia never led.

The Sixers had already pulled off a 29-point comeback against Cleveland this season, but they could not repeat it.

Pistons vs. 76ers player stats

Leading scorers, per the NBA.com box score:

Robinson made five of Detroit’s 14 3-pointers. The Pistons shot 41.2% from deep, while the Sixers went 7 of 27 (25.9%). Detroit also won the rebounding battle 54-37 and blocked 11 shots, according to the box score.

For Philadelphia, Jaylen Brown, who scored 27 on Saturday, went 5 of 20 from the field. Adem Bona had 13 rebounds off the bench.

Who was missing

Both teams were shorthanded:

• Pistons: Duren is expected to miss at least two weeks with a strained right hamstring after getting hurt in Friday’s win over Miami, AP reported. Ausar Thompson was also inactive, per NBA.com.
• 76ers: Playing the second night of a back-to-back, Philadelphia rested Joel Embiid a night after his triple-double against Milwaukee. Guard VJ Edgecombe sat with an abdominal contusion.

James, 41, returned after sitting out Saturday’s win over the Bucks to rest his back. He went 8 of 15 from the field in 33 minutes.

Why it matters

Detroit held up well without its starting center, with Paul Reed starting in Duren’s place and finishing with eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

The Sixers had won their first three games, including a comeback against Cleveland and Saturday’s 127-116 win over Milwaukee. Without Embiid, they could not keep up with Detroit from 3-point range.

What’s next

• Pistons: at the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
• 76ers: at the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

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