By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Detroit Pistons clinched a rare victory in the ongoing NBA regular season despite a roller -coaster campaign and edged the Brooklyn Nets, 118-112, on March 8, 2024.
With almost 65 games heading into the postseason, the Pistons only logged their 10th overall win but are looking for some momentum to cap off their run on a high note.
The duo of Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham proved to be too much for Brooklyn as the 1-2 punch led Detroit in scoring with 34 and 32 points, respectively.
Ivey, who started the season slowly and was a late insertion to their new starting five lineup, finally found his offensive rhythm and spearheaded the Pistons’ attack with an efficient 10/17 performance from the shooting field.
The athletic guard was electric from the get-go and quickly let his presence felt with several aggressive drives to the basket that helped them end the opening quarter with a 10-point advantage.
When the Nets countered back in the second quarter after scoring 41 big points, Cunningham picked up where Ivey left off and just took over in the clutch.
Aside from his offensive prowess, Cunningham also orchestrated the Pistons’ offense after dishing out 11 assists alongside five rebounds and a block.
It was a nip-and-tuck fourth-quarter battle as Dennis Schroder kept Brooklyn within striking distance after hitting several crucial buckets.
However, the Pistons got three clutch free throws from the duo of Ivey and Cunningham, saving them from another disappointing loss after Lonnie Walker missed his three-point attempt.
The Pistons pulled off one of their most dominant performances in the rebounding department after collecting a total of 50 boards, 13 of which were offensive.
Off their cleared rebounds, Detroit then tallied 23 second-chance points, one key of the game that they exploited to nab the much-needed win.
