Cunningham’s 4th triple-double of the season lifts the Pistons to a 124-104 rout of Washington

By NOAH TRISTER The Associated Press

Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris, left, collides with Washington Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/John McDonnell]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 21 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons over the Washington Wizards 124-104 on Sunday night.

Jaden Ivey scored 28 points and Malik Beasley added 26 for Detroit. Cunningham has four triple-doubles this season, two behind league leader Nikola Jokic.

It was the eighth straight loss for Washington, which was home after a five-game trip. Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points apiece for the Wizards.

Detroit held Washington to 18 points in the first quarter and led 65-53 at halftime. The lead was never in single digits after that, with the Pistons going on a 12-3 run to take an 85-64 advantage on a dunk by Jalen Duren.

Wizards center Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, had four points on 1-of-7 shooting.

Takeaways

Pistons: These were the bottom two teams in the league last year, and although Washington got a higher draft pick, it’s Detroit that looks further along in its rebuild. After dropping their first four games, the Pistons (7-8) have battled back to within a game of .500.

Wizards: This skid could go on a while for Washington, which faces New York and Boston in its next two games. The Wizards ended up shooting well (12 of 27) from 3-point range, but couldn’t recover from their ragged first quarter.

Key moment

Washington began to click offensively during the second quarter and trailed 52-47 after a dunk by Bilal Coulibaly, but it was never that close again after Beasley answered with a 3-pointer.

Key stat

Washington had 17 turnovers compared to Detroit’s nine, and the Pistons had a 27-11 edge in points off turnovers.

Up next

Both teams play again Monday night. Detroit hosts the Chicago Bulls, while Washington plays at New York.

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