Cade Cunningham Praises Detroit Pistons Starter After Win vs Suns

Cade Cunningham called Jaden Ivey the Detroit Pistons' spark against the Suns.

Nov 5, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) passes against the Phoenix Suns at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

As the Detroit Pistons went toe-to-toe with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, they received a backcourt boost as the veteran guard Jaden Ivey returned to the lineup.

Lately, Ivey has been dealing with inflammation in his knee. The issue started right before the Pistons tipped off against the Miami Heat on Monday.

Although Ivey was off the injury report all day leading up to tip-off, the Pistons scratched him out of the lineup as he dealt with soreness. When the Pistons went into their Thursday night matchup against the Utah Jazz, Ivey was listed as doubtful for the matchup. As expected, he didn’t play.

Fortunately for the Pistons, Ivey wouldn’t be out for long. When the Pistons and the Suns prepared for their Saturday night face-off in Arizona, Ivey was upgraded to probable. He ended up getting his 26th start of the season.

Detroit star Cade Cunningham acknowledged the veteran guard’s return, noting he was a major reason for their win over the Suns on Saturday night.

"We missed that spark that he has,” Cunningham told reporters on Saturday. “He started off with a few offensive rebounds that got us going. [He] made a ton of great reads. He was great."

Cade on Ivey: "We missed that spark that he has. He started off with a few offensive rebounds that got us going, made a ton of great reads. He was great."

— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) December 22, 2024

In Ivey’s return to action, he checked in for roughly 30 minutes.

The young veteran put up 14 shots from the field, making half of his attempts. From three, Ivey knocked down four shots. He ended up scoring 20 points, coming second to Cunningham.

Ivey nearly notched a triple-double as he produced eight assists and came down with eight rebounds.

The Pistons defeated the Suns with a 133-125 victory. With that win, Detroit advanced to 12-17 on the season. They will be back on the floor on Monday night to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Barring any unexpected changes, Ivey should be good to go for his second matchup in a row.