Pistons Star Opens Up on Challenges of Battling Knicks’ Jalen Brunson

What makes Jalen Brunson a hard guard?

Oct 21, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-Imagn Images / Tom Horak-Imagn Images

Friday night’s matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks featured some of the most talented young guards in the NBA. On New York’s side, they employ an emerging superstar in Jalen Brunson, who is working on adding more notable accolades at this stage in his career.

On Detroit’s side, they have Cade Cunningham, who is a former No. 1 overall pick that has flown under the radar since he’s been on a struggling Pistons team from the moment he stepped foot in the NBA.

The two guards dueled it out on Friday, and the one with the more decorated resume had the upper hand.

Feb 26, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

After the game, Cunningham explained the difficulty of facing a guard like Brunson.

“He just knows the ins and outs of the game,” Cunningham told reporters. “He knows how to get to his spots. He’s physical and can knock down shots at a high level. All of those things make him a really tough guard. It takes a group to guard him. We just didn’t execute our gameplan good enough for the first group.”

Brunson checked in for 30 minutes on Friday night. He put up a game-leading 22 shots from the field and knocked down 14 of them. From three, Brunson was nearly perfect, making all but two of his eight shots from beyond the arc.

The Knicks star finished the game with 36 points, five assists, one rebound, and two steals. He helped lead the Knicks to a dominant 128-98 victory over the Pistons.

Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham produced 22 points on 10-19 shooting in 32 minutes of action. He also racked up six assists and six rebounds.

Despite another tough loss, Cunningham is once again taking a step forward with his game. Leading up to Friday’s outing against the Knicks, Cunningham was averaging 26 points, six rebounds, and seven assists.

Following a loss against the Knicks, Detroit dropped to 1-5 on the season. While they felt like they were turning a corner after picking up a win over the Philadelphia 76ers following four-straight games of tight losses, a blowout was in store for the Pistons on Friday.

Cunningham and his team will get a chance to bounce back on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets.