Cade Cunningham Scores Season-High 33 as Pistons Rout Hornets 124-91 for Third Straight Win

The Detroit Pistons barely needed Cade Cunningham in the fourth quarter. He had already done enough. Cunningham scored a season-high 33 points in three quarters, Duncan Robinson added 24 behind six 3-pointers, and the Pistons rolled past the Charlotte Hornets 124-91 on Monday night in Charlotte.

It was Detroit’s third straight win, according to the Associated Press. The Pistons are 6-1 and lead the Central Division. Charlotte fell to 3-5 and has lost four in a row.

Pistons vs. Hornets: final score by quarter

How Detroit pulled away

The Pistons led most of the night. They took an 11-point lead into halftime and stretched it to 98-75 by the end of the third quarter after making 13 of their first 24 3-point attempts, the AP reported.

Detroit kept pushing in the fourth. Robinson and Kevin Huerter hit 3s on back-to-back possessions to make it a 29-point game, and Hornets coach Charles Lee emptied his bench. The Pistons’ biggest lead was 33, per the box score.

Charlotte’s 25 turnovers were a big part of the gap. Detroit scored 37 points off those turnovers and had 27 fast-break points to Charlotte’s four, according to the box score.

Cade Cunningham’s all-around night

Cunningham shot 13-of-20 from the field and added seven assists, five steals and five rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter. The AP said he hurt Charlotte in every way: drives in transition, 3-pointers, turnaround jumpers and crosscourt passes to open teammates.

Robinson was nearly perfect from deep early and finished 8-of-11 from the field and 6-of-9 from 3.

Detroit Pistons vs. Charlotte Hornets player stats

Pistons

• Cade Cunningham: 33 points, 7 assists, 5 steals, 5 rebounds
• Duncan Robinson: 24 points, 6-of-9 3PT
• Ausar Thompson: 14 points, 6 rebounds
• Paul Reed: 11 points
• Ronald Holland II: 11 points
• Kevin Huerter: 9 points

Hornets

• Brandon Miller: 17 points
• Naz Reid: 13 points, 6 rebounds
• Sion James: 11 points
• Grayson Allen: 11 points
• Coby White: 7 points in 16 minutes

Coby White’s debut and Kon Knueppel’s return

The night did bring one milestone for Charlotte. Point guard Coby White made his season debut after missing the first seven games with a calf strain. He scored seven points on 3-of-8 shooting in 16 minutes. The AP described White as the player pegged to replace LaMelo Ball earlier this offseason. Lee said before the game that White will be on a minutes restriction for the foreseeable future.

Lee also said guard Kon Knueppel’s return is “right around the corner.” Knueppel led the league in 3-pointers last season and finished second to Dallas’ Cooper Flagg for Rookie of the Year, the AP noted.

What’s next

• Pistons: host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
• Hornets: at the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

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