All Cade Cunningham could do was laugh. He was sitting at his locker, surrounded by reporters, after the Detroit Pistons beat the Boston Celtics 117-97.
The Pistons notched their eighth consecutive win for the first time since 2007-08. That season, they had win streaks of both 10 and 11 games. Cunningham was asked what life looked like for him back then when the 23-year-old guard was just 6 years old.
“I was a kid,” Cunningham chuckled. “I was doing kid things.”
Now he’s a young adult doing things that haven’t been done for his franchise in nearly 20 years. Cunningham finished with 21 points, 11 assists and four rebounds for his 26th double-double of the season. He’s averaging 26.2 points on 50.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range, 9.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds during the win streak.
Detroit is past the point of playing its best basketball of the last decade. The Pistons are in the midst of their winningest stretch since before any players on their roster were even drafted.
Asked Cade Cunningham what it means to notch the longest Pistons winning streak since 2008, then asked what life looked like for him back then.
“‘Restore this franchise’ is what we said a lot. … The city wants championships. So, we’re slowly building toward that.” pic.twitter.com/ujtbWIDjnp
— Hunter Patterson (@HuntPatterson_) February 27, 2025
Tim Hardaway Jr., Detroit’s oldest player at 32 years old, was drafted in 2013. Tobias Harris, who was also drafted in 2011, was also not yet in the NBA during the Pistons’ last time winning eight in a row.
Detroit has found its stride at a crucial time. The Pistons are four games removed from the All-Star break, have 23 regular-season games remaining and are a game back from tying the Indiana Pacers for fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics, who were without Jaylen Brown on Wednesday, have the fourth-highest offensive rating in the NBA at 118.6. But the Pistons held them to 100 on Wednesday. Boston also ranks sixth in the league in points per game at 116.9, but Detroit limited it to 97 points. This was just the Celtics’ fifth outing this season scoring fewer than 100 points. Outside of Boston’s 35-point second quarter, the Pistons allowed 24 or fewer points in each of the other three.
“I think we were outstanding,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Detroit’s defense. “To set the tone the way we did to start the game, to hold them to 20 points in the first quarter, meant we came out with a point to prove. I thought we were excellent in the first quarter, and then again to hold them to 18 points in the fourth quarter shows your ability to want to close it out.
“We had multiple plays where everybody was a part of it, everybody was making extra efforts. I thought we did a really good job of finishing possessions. They typically do a really good job on the offensive glass, and I thought we did a great job of finishing possessions. Hats off to the crew, they did a hell of a job on that end tonight.”
The best way to finish a possession rather than forcing a live-ball turnover is by forcing a shot-clock violation. The Pistons forced the Celtics into shot-clock violations to end the first and second quarters. And when they weren’t forcing shot-clock violations, the Pistons were scoring off Boston’s turnovers. Of the Pistons’ 117 points Wednesday, 24 came from 17 Celtics turnovers.
Detroit also took advantage of one of Boston’s weakest areas this season: paint points. The Celtics rank last in the NBA in paint scoring at 41.5 per game, which is directly related to their league-leading 48.4 3-point attempts per game. The Pistons outscored Boston 62-20 in the paint.
Malik Beasley paced Detroit in scoring with a team-high 26 points on 6-of-11 shooting from downtown. Few players on the Pistons have the connection with the fans and Little Caesars Arena as Beasley does. He shimmied, yelled to the crowd and, at times, couldn’t contain his smiles. His energy was infectious and intentional.
“Detroit, I’m with you all the way, man,” Beasley said postgame. “My mom is from here, and I know y’all saw the recent picture of me. It’s a full-circle moment for me, and I’m so thankful to be here. The work is being put in, and the crowd is behind my back. It makes it easier to hoop and have confidence, especially when your teammates are getting you the rock and telling you to shoot.”
Nobody can stop Threesley pic.twitter.com/c5n5lOlw5v
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 27, 2025
Cunningham echoed that passion for the city of Detroit and its fans.
“‘Restore this franchise’ is what we said a lot,” Cunningham said. “So, to see it come to fruition now is a great thing. I’m happy for the city, but I’m not satisfied at all. I think there’s still a lot more work to do.”
Cunningham has been consistent in his message of not being satisfied since the wins began piling up earlier this season. If the Pistons hope to sustain this streak, they’ll need to adopt the mindset of their franchise player.
Next up are the Denver Nuggets (38-20), who will enter Friday’s matchup in Detroit with the second-best record in the Western Conference and have won 10 of their last 11. Denver had its own nine-game win streak before dropping one to the Los Angeles Lakers, then rebounding with a win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
The Pistons have won just two of their eight games during the streak by single digits, and Detroit’s average margin of victory has been 16.3. Wednesday’s win marked the Pistons’ second win during the streak against a team above .500. They’ll go for their ninth in a row Friday.
“I think the city wants to see a lot more,” Cunningham said. “The city wants championships. So, we’re slowly building toward that. And this is a great start for us.”
(Photo of Malik Beasley: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
