Cade Cunningham scored 38 points on Sunday to help the visiting Detroit Pistons win their season-best sixth straight game, a 148-143 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Cunningham finished 14-for-24 shooting from the floor with seven 3-pointers, 12 assists and seven rebounds. It was his 15th game this season with 30-plus points.
The game was tied 135-all at 2:35 and went through five lead changes until Dennis Schroder’s three-point play put the Pistons ahead to stay 142-140 with 33 seconds left. Detroit put it away when Malik Beasley made two free throws with 23 seconds remaining.
Schroder, a former Hawk, came off the bench to score 16 points, his most since joining the Pistons at the trade deadline. Beasley added 24 points with six 3-pointers in a reserve role.
The win gives Detroit a 3-1 lead in the season series, ensuring it of the tiebreaker, and gave the Pistons a five-game lead over the Hawks in the Eastern Conference. Detroit solidified its place at No. 6 and Atlanta dropped to No. 9 with its third straight loss.
The Pistons shot a season-high 59.1 percent from the field and matched their season high with 20 3-pointers.
Atlanta’s Trae Young scored 38 points with 13 assists. It was the 17th time Young surpassed the 30-point mark this season as he notched his 33rd double-double.
Off the bench, Georges Niang scored a season-high 27 points and matched his career high with seven 3-pointers. Dyson Daniels added 24 points and four steals.
The Pistons took a 76-68 lead into halftime. Cunningham had 29 points on 11-for-16 shooting with six 3-pointers and 10 assists in the first half. Detroit led 33-30 after the first quarter and outscored Atlanta 15-7 over the final 2:44 of the half for an eight-point lead.
Detroit stretched the lead to 11, but Atlanta fought back to twice tie the game, lastly at 91-all on a 3-pointer by Niang at 6:18. The Pistons recovered and led 112-103 after three quarters.
Atlanta will complete its three-game homestand on Monday against the Miami Heat. Detroit will returns home on Monday to start a four-game homestand against the L.A. Clippers.
