NBA Cup Cusp, Ten Wins, and Cade is an All-Star | The Weekly Drive
The Pistons were one win away from advancing in the NBA Cup and have reached ten wins four months faster than they did last season.

Hey there Pistons fans, and welcome back to the Weekly Drive. After a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, we have some catching up to do. The weekly game recaps below will cover the last two weeks’ worth of Pistons games, followed by some news and notes. Let’s get (back) into it.
Weekly Game Recaps
Game 19: Toronto 100, Detroit 102 (11/25)
Rapid Detail: Jaden Ivey drilled a driving layup at the buzzer to give the Pistons a much-needed victory over a team that - dare I say - they should be able to beat. It is made especially impressive considering Cade Cunningham didn’t play in this one due to his hip injury.
Game 20: Detroit 111, Memphis 132 (11/27)
Rapid Detail: The Pistons were without Cunningham and Tobias Harris, meaning offense would be even harder to come by. And boy, was it harder to come by. Marcus Sasser ended up leading the team in scoring with 22 points while Ivey came away with 17 points. To make matters even more frustrating, Memphis was without their star Ja Morant in this one.
Game 21: Detroit 130, Indiana 106 (11/29)
Rapid Detail: Are the Indiana Pacers good? Or even passable? The Pistons crushed the defending Eastern Conference Finalists behind 30 points from Malik Beasley and a double-double from Cunningham. It makes the Opening Night loss to Indiana even more frustrating, but this one was at least an NBA Cup victor for Detroit, bringing them (at the time) to 3-0.
Game 22: Philadelphia 111, Detroit 96 (11/30)
Rapid Detail: From one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, the Pistons disappointed against the Sixers who were without Joel Embiid. Cunningham was a late scratch for Detroit, resulting in the offense once again stalling out in his absence. The reliance on Cunningham to fuel the team is concerning, but a testament to just how good he has been this season.
Game 23: Milwaukee 128, Detroit 107 (12/3)
Rapid Detail: In the final NBA Cup Group Play game, in which the Pistons needed a win to advance, Detroit laid an egg and lost by 21. The Bucks’ offense was too strong, highlighted by 27 points from Damian Lillard and 28 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Pistons just did not have an answer to either player, resulting in being eliminated from the NBA Cup.
Game 24: Detroit 120, Boston 130 (12/4)
Rapid Detail: The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum, but still managed a 15-point lead after the first quarter. The Pistons made a good effort to come back, but Boston’s depth was too great to overcome. Cunningham finished with a near triple-double though, and Malik Beasley continued his hot shooting with 23 points off the bench.
Game 25: Detroit 120, New York 111 (12/7)
Rapid Detail: The Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns, but Detroit held a 16-point lead after the first quarter and bent but didn’t break the rest of the way. This time Cunningham got his triple-double, and the Pistons needed every bit of it to pick up their 10th win of the season. Detroit didn’t get their 10th win last season until March 7th. That is called growth.
Missed Opportunity
The Pistons played their most meaningful game in years, a win-and-get-in situation against the Bucks, but failed to get the job done. It was disappointing, but a positive step for an organization looking to not only win games but be playing meaningful basketball. Our own Aaron Johnson talked about it here.
News and Notes
The Pistons have been very careful with Ausar Thompson, who has not played the last two games as he recovers from a groin injury and continues getting back into game shape after dealing with a blood clot ailment.
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was fined $25,000 after making a throat-slashing gesture at Isaiah Stewart.
Remember when everyone was making fun of the Pistons last season for being historically bad? This year’s Washington Wizards are even worse.
Amid a breakout season, Cade Cunningham is firmly in the All-Star discussion. And he believes he is one.
Thanks for sticking with me amid a double-duty Weekly Drive. We will be back on schedule for the rest of the year, and I hope you will continue tuning in each week.
Mike