Cade Cunningham scored 32 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics 112-105 to extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference standings on Monday.
Pistons point guard Cunningham produced another potent offensive display in a back-and-forth duel that saw the lead change hands 15 times before Detroit pulled away in the final minutes. Cunningham, averaging just under 27 points this season, rattled in six three-pointers in 11-of-21 shooting from the field to help Detroit improve to 21-5 in the Eastern Conference. But Detroit were made to work hard for their fourth straight win after a dogged performance from Boston, who led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter before being reeled in. “We love games like this that are tough, muddy,” Cunningham said. “I think the game getting that way turns us up a little bit more.”
Detroit’s starters were backed by 47 points from the bench, with Caris LeVert coming on to add 13 points in 19 minutes on court and Jaden Ivey finishing with 10 points. “We’re deep — we got starters up and down the roster,” Cunningham said. “Guys who come in and do their job better than anybody in the league. It’s fun to play with.” Jaylen Brown led Boston’s scoring with 34 points while Derrick White finished with 31. The Denver Nuggets battled past the Houston Rockets 128-125 in overtime to extend their winning streak to five games in a heavyweight duel between the second and third-placed teams in the Western Conference.
Denver’s Serbian star Nikola Jokic bagged a superb triple-double with 39 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists with Jamal Murray also weighing in with a hefty 35-point contribution. Turkish star Alperen Sengun led the Rockets scoring with 33 points while Kevin Durant finished with 25 in a game that saw the lead change hands 17 times.
“They’re a talented team, they have a really good defense, they’re big and tall,” Jokic said of Houston. “It was a really good game for us. This is something that we need to build on.” The Toronto Raptors improved to 16-11 to move into third place in the Eastern Conference with a 106-96 road win over the Miami Heat. Brandon Ingram’s 28 points laid the foundation for Toronto, who outscored Miami 32-19 in the fourth quarter.