Cade Cunningham adds to MVP case with 42 points as Pistons rout Knicks
Cade Cunningham poured in 42 points, dished 13 assists and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 126-111 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, a victory that completed a regular-season sweep and bolstered his MVP candidacy.
Cade Cunningham delivers 42-point outburst at Madison Square Garden
Cunningham dominated from start to finish, opening the game with 14 first-quarter points including three 3-pointers and finishing 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. He also added two blocks and multiple sequences where he scored or assisted on consecutive possessions, including a late fourth-quarter stepback 3 over Jeremy Sochan that pushed him to 40 points and a transition alley-oop to Daniss Jenkins that widened the lead to 114-97 with just over four minutes left.
Pistons win 126-111 without top bigs; sweep Knicks for the season
The Pistons did it with their frontcourt short-handed: Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart were absent because of suspensions stemming from an altercation in Charlotte before the All-Star break. Paul Reed started in the middle and finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while two-way center Tolu Smith battled foul trouble but contributed on the glass. Detroit’s depth held up against Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson on paper, and the result gave Detroit a sweep of the season series against the Knicks.
Knicks cooled from deep as Brunson and Towns couldn’t mount a recovery
New York sank just 8-of-35 from 3-point range, missing 15 straight attempts in the first half, and never recovered from Detroit’s runs. Jalen Brunson scored 33 points and had seven assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points — 19 of them coming in the second half — but those numbers came too late to change the outcome as the Pistons stretched leads with Cunningham-led bursts in the second and third quarters.
Pistons coach J. B. Bickerstaff said the team has approached games the same way all season, defending with the same temperament and edge, and that Cunningham’s performance is part of a season-long pattern: he has dominated on both ends and impacted winning in a major way. Cunningham himself pushed back on shrinking the moment, saying the award would come as a by-product of team success and offering a straightforward assessment of his place in the conversation.
What this means for Detroit’s standing and the immediate schedule
The win left Detroit with the NBA’s best record at 41-13 and extended the club’s lead in the Eastern Conference; the Pistons sit 5½ games ahead of the Boston Celtics. Detroit has been strong on the road this season, and the victory at Madison Square Garden continued a run in which the Pistons have repeatedly handled New York — including two earlier decisive wins by 31 and 38 points — this season.
Detroit continues its second half on the road with a visit to Chicago to face the Bulls on Saturday at 8: 00 p. m. ET. The Bulls game is the Pistons’ next scheduled matchup as they press forward with Cunningham at the center of their title and award conversations.
