Cade Cunningham leads Pistons past Rockets

Cade Cunningham scored 19 of his game-high 32 points in the third quarter while Jalen Duren added a double-double without missing a shot as the visiting Detroit Pistons beat the Houston Rockets 107-96 on Monday afternoon.

Cunningham added nine rebounds and seven assists to his ledger to offset his 10-turnover performance. Duren posted 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting with 14 rebounds plus four steals and two blocks for the Pistons, who seized control in the third quarter and fended off the Rockets, who closed to within five points before fading down the stretch in the fourth period.

Fred VanVleet led the Rockets with 20 points and tied his season best of six steals while Jalen Green added 19 points. Amen Thompson totaled 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals before fouling out for Houston, which surrendered 28 fast-break points and 50 points in the paint to the Pistons.

Cunningham put the Pistons in control with a dazzling flurry in the third, sparking a 13-0 run with back-to-back 3-pointers before adding a pull-up baseline jumper, another 3 and two free throws. The Pistons extended to a 79-64 lead during the blitz, and Cunningham capped the frame with another pullup jumper from the baseline that beat the buzzer and gave Detroit a 90-80 lead.

Cunningham shot 7 of 8 in the period. When Houston closed to within 90-85 in the fourth, Marcus Sasser replied with a floater and a 3-pointer that helped Detroit reclaim its 10-point lead.

Cunningham and Duren keyed a hot start for Detroit and, with help from Malik Beasley, led a 16-1 run that yielded a 40-29 lead entering the second period. Duren cashed in two offensive rebounds while Beasley (17 points) produced a transition dunk and a 3-pointer as Detroit took advantage of seven Houston turnovers in the first period. The Pistons shot 61.5 percent and recorded 13 fast-break points.

The Rockets fashioned a response in the second, using a 16-0 run to erase a 44-29 deficit. Cam Whitmore emerged from the bench and drilled a 3-pointer before adding an alley-oop dunk and an assist to ignite a rally that ended with a pair of Tari Eason free throws which supplied the Rockets a one-point lead. A stalemate ensued for the remainder of the half, concluded by a Tim Hardaway Jr. 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left, resulting in a 57-57 deadlock at the intermission.

--Field Level Media