Cade Cunningham flexes star potential to fend off Blazers defensive blitz in massive win for Pistons' playoff pursuit

The Detroit Pistons narrowly staved off a valiant Portland Trail Blazers comeback to earn their 36th win of the season. I attended this game between two bright, up-and-coming NBA teams with success in both of their futures. Let's break down five things we learned from the game.

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Major takeaways as Cade Cunningham's Detroit Pistons continue valiant run after win vs Portland

Cade Cunningham is a bona fide star

NBA: Detroit Pistons at Portland Trail Blazers - Source: Imagn

Few NBA players ascended as high as Cade Cunningham has this season, developing into one of the best initiators in the league. He’s fueled Detroit’s massive turnaround as they skyrocketed from a laughing stock to a locked-in playoff team.

Cunningham played like a star against Portland, logging a team-high 28 points (66.8% true shooting) and five assists but coughing up eight turnovers, six of them in the second half.

Portland’s swarming defense caused Cunningham some trouble, especially in the second half (more on that later). Still, Cunningham at the controls drove the Pistons to victory. He was especially hard to limit on drives, carving his way downhill, making four of his five shots in the restricted area and 8 of 9 free throws.

Late in the game, the Blazers couldn’t defend Cunningham without fouling. He scored all his fourth-quarter points at the line and helped close out a hard-earned win. He’s far from a perfect player, still vulnerable to turnovers and settling for tough shots in the paint. But even on a night where he played below his best, Cunningham’s creation, scoring and passing carried his team to victory over a tough Portland team.

The Blazers flexed their defensive muscles in the second half

NBA: Detroit Pistons at Portland Trail Blazers - Source: Imagn

Portland’s defense is the impetus behind their turnaround this season and Play-In Tournament push. They’re the NBA’s fifth-best defense since the new year (112.7 defensive rating), but the Pistons had their way on offense in the first half. Detroit posted an excellent 120.8 offensive rating in the first half, converting nearly 60.0% of their 2-pointers.

Cade Cunningham navigated wherever he pleased to score in the paint and draw fouls. Their defense couldn’t stop any of Detroit’s guards, even ancillary pieces like Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. However, they flipped a switch at halftime, forcing a much improved 110.0 offensive rating from Detroit in the second half.

Opposing offenses can struggle to dribble and pass around Portland’s explosive length and size; the Blazers have the 11th highest opponent turnover rate in the league since Jan. 1 (14.8%). The Blazers doubled their opponent turnover rate from 9.4% in the first half to 18% in the second.

They began trapping Cade Cunningham and forcing others to pass and score, exploiting Detroit’s lack of secondary creation. Toumani Camara deserves a mention for his defense against Cunningham as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

The Blazers couldn’t finish their comeback, but they came a possession away from tying the game with just minutes remaining. Without a suffocating defensive performance in the late third and fourth quarters, they wouldn’t have had the chance to win.

Portland needs help in the frontcourt

Detroit’s significant advantage at the center spot helped fuel their victory and build a massive third-quarter lead. Neither Isaiah Stewart nor Jalen Duren are stars, but both are more than competent NBA starters with valuable skills on both ends. They both thrived against Portland — Duren scored an efficient 18 points (76.5% true shooting) with 12 rebounds, and Stewart tallied five blocks.

Portland missed DeAndre Ayton, but their rotation is spotty, even with him healthy and playing. They rely on rookie Donovan Clingan for their center play, who impacted shots at the rim and snared nine rebounds on the night. His consistency, however, meant he didn’t play long stretches. Clingan’s conditioning holds him back at the moment, and his five fouls kept him off the floor even when the Blazers could have used his size.

Chauncey Billups relied on Duop Reath to close the game, who provided a solid enough 25-minute stint but couldn’t hit enough shots down the stretch to win Portland the game. Clingan played just 22 minutes and only three and a half in the fourth quarter despite having one more foul to give before disqualification.

Clingan’s challenges in defending without fouling and staying on the floor are common for rookie centers, but he makes it difficult for a competitive Portland team to rely on him. They’ll need to add more big-man depth in the offseason, whether that be through the draft or free agency.

Detroit forced the Blazers out of their offensive comfort zone

The Blazers aren’t a high-volume 3-point shooting team, ranking 18th in the NBA in 3-point frequency (40.9%). They attempted a ridiculous 50 3s last night, making 15 of them (30%), good for a 53.8% 3-point frequency. According to Cleaning the Glass, this was their fourth-highest 3-point frequency of any game this season.

Portland isn’t a great shooting team, ranking 26th in 3-point accuracy this season (34.3%). Detroit consistently funneled the Blazers away from the paint, forcing outside shots from sub-optimal shooters. Portland went especially cold in the second half, going 5 of 23 (21.7%) from outside.

Outside of Jerami Grant (6 of 11), none of Portland’s players shot well from deep against the Blazers. Scoot Henderson (1 of 6), Duop Reath (1 of 8) and Anfernee Simons (4 of 13) all couldn’t find a consistent stroke from deep. In the fourth quarter, they dared Duop Reath to shoot from deep. A 30.6% 3-point shooter went 1-for-4 from deep in the last period, ending offensive possessions with sub-optimal results.

Detroit’s defense deserves credit here for their strategy, sending help to drives and interior passes and forcing lots of low-value triples. Portland’s struggles shooting the basketball contribute to their general offensive struggles and mark a critical need for them to address going forward.

The Pistons’ offensive additions paid dividends

While Cunningham was the focal point for the Pistons in their win, they couldn’t have closed the game without their new complementary pieces. Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder scored in double digits. The latter three weren’t particularly efficient, but their scoring punch helped out nonetheless.

Harris was the star of the bunch, reaching 20 points and nine rebounds on an excellent 72.0 % true shooting clip. Harris’s post-up and isolation scoring helped the Pistons grind out tough buckets when the game slowed down, especially down the stretch.

This was one of Harris’s better games of the season, marking his 11th game, scoring 20 or more points. He’s not a world-beating addition by any means, but his sturdy veteran presence has helped stabilize Detroit’s offense, especially when teams sell out to trap and blitz Cunningham.