Cade Cunningham lifts Pistons over Mavericks, 117-102

A bad second half doomed the Mavericks in Detroit.

Austin Veazey | Jan 31, 2025

Jan 31, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) shoots over Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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The Dallas Mavericks continued their road trip on Friday evening, taking on the Detroit Pistons in the Little Caesars Arena and former friend Tim Hardaway Jr. Dallas got Dante Exum back for this game, but were still missing Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II, and more.

With those two starters out for Dallas, they started Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford. Detroit went with Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren as their first five.

It was a hot start for the Mavs, as Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford scored 14 of the first 17 points for Dallas, as they took a 17-7 lead to force a timeout from Detroit. The Pistons were just 3/10 from the floor in the first five minutes of the game, allowing Dallas to get rebounds and run.

The Mavericks would take an 11-point lead not long after that on Thompson's 10th point of the first quarter, but Detroit started to chip back in, as Cade Cunningham scored or assisted on four of the next six baskets for the Pistons, getting them back within four points. That's what the margin would be after the first quarter, with Dallas leading 32-28.

Kyrie Irving has his first basket of the game to start the second quarter, but an 8-2 run fueled by two threes by Malik Beasley tied the game soon after. They'd take a brief four-point lead after free throws from Simone Fontecchio and a finish by Cade Cunningham, but two straight baskets by Daniel Gafford would tie the game again.

Irving started to get going after that, scoring six points in about a minute and a half stretch, allowing Dallas to take a brief three-point lead. Tim Hardaway Jr. would tie it on the other end. Soon after that, a 7-0 run by Detroit would give them a 60-53 lead as Jalen Duren and Marcus Sasser helped give the Pistons an advantage. Daniel Gafford blocked two shots near the end of the quarter to keep Detroit's lead from growing, but they'd still lead 62-58 at halftime.

Dallas got the lead down to one in the opening minute of the second half following a three-pointer by Kyrie Irving, but a 7-0 run by Detroit gave them their biggest lead of the game at eight. After Klay Thompson hit a three to cut the lead to three, the Pistons again extended the lead, this time up to 11, following a tough mid-range pull-up and some free-throws by Tobias Harris. Hardaway and Paul Reed would extend the lead to 15 a few possessions later.

Kyrie Irving helped bring the Mavericks back, scoring seven of the next 13 points of the game to bring Dallas back within six. But a layup by Cade Cunningham would give the Pistons a 93-85 lead heading into the final frame.

Dallas fought the lead down to two in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter as Dante Exum got on the scoreboard with a nifty layup and a free throw. Marcus Sasser was helping the Mavs by taking a bunch of ill-advised threes, but Detroit was still able to go back up by nine once Sasser started going inside the arc.

Soon after, the Pistons would once again be up by 15 as Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren were making their mark. They'd be able to coast after that, going on to a 117-102 win.

Neither team shot the ball all that well, with both teams shooting below 45% from the field and 35% from three. The big difference was turnovers, as Dallas had 16 to Detroit's 6.

Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 28 points (just 9/23 shooting) and six rebounds, followed by P.J. Washington's 22 points and 13 rebounds. Daniel Gafford (16 points, 10 rebounds), and Klay Thompson (13 points) were also in double figures. The rest of the Mavs struggled, scoring 23 points on 9/29 shooting.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons, tying his season-high with 40 points. Tobias Harris (17 points), Jalen Duren (16 points, 13 rebounds), and Marcus Sasser (10 points) were in double figures as well for the Pistons.

The Mavericks will play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday for the middle of their road trip.

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Published Jan 31, 2025

AUSTIN VEAZEY

Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG