Cade Cunningham didn’t waste any time reminding everyone why his late-game reputation keeps growing.
In Tuesday’s season opener against the Celtics, the Pistons got steady help from their supporting cast for most of the night, but Cunningham finished the job himself when the game tightened up. He delivered 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in the fourth quarter to help Detroit pull away for an 8-point win.
That kind of finish has become part of his game. As he’s settled in as an All-NBA talent, Cunningham has made a habit of rising when the pressure spikes because of the way he plays.
He operates with patience, controls the pace and is comfortable creating difficult shots over defenders no matter how the possession looks. More often than not, he seems to get sharper as the game moves along and the defense adjusts.
That was the story on Tuesday. Cunningham had only 14 points through three quarters, going 5-of-13 from the field, but he found another gear in the final period.
He went 3-of-5 in the fourth, leaning on his midrange pullup to help put the Celtics away. Ausar Thompson also chipped in with a final dagger shot, giving Cunningham a little extra breathing room.
If Thompson’s offensive game keeps growing, it could make Cunningham even more dangerous in those closing moments because he won’t have to shoulder quite as much of the load.
The numbers back up the trust. Last season, Cunningham finished in the top 10 in the league in clutch scoring, and early in the year he looked like a real contender for Clutch Player of the Year. Detroit is hoping that carries over this season and eventually into the playoffs.
That’s where the bigger test still waits. After last season’s brutal Game 7 loss to the Cavaliers, the Pistons have reason to focus on how they handle the biggest moments. Cunningham’s biggest playoff issue was his uneven clutch play, especially the turnovers that led to some damaging losses.
He spent the offseason working on his conditioning, with the goal of making his fourth-quarter play even stronger. If that carries over, it should help his regular-season late-game production translate more cleanly when the stakes rise.
Detroit also knows Cunningham can’t be the only answer every time the game gets tight. Thompson and Jalen Duren are the main candidates to ease that burden, but neither has a true go-to clutch scoring package yet. The Pistons will want to keep developing those options during the regular season so they can be ready when the pressure hits.
For one night, though, Cunningham did exactly what his team needed. In the opener, he took the Pistons home in the clutch.
In Other News...
Pistons Opener Hinted At A Change Fans Have Wanted For Years
The Pistons entered the 2026 offseason determined to modernize an offense that too often settled for too few threes, and their regular-season opener against the Celtics offered the clearest sign yet that the message may have landed. Detroit launched 40 three-pointers in a 121-113 win, a sharp jump from last seasons 30.8 per game, and the shot profile alone looked different enough to catch the eye even before the comeback from a 22-point hole.
Duncan Robinson, Javonte Green, Isaiah Joe and Kevin Huerter all factored into the spread-the-floor approach, giving Detroit the kind of perimeter volume fans have wanted to see for years. One game does not make a season, of course, but after spending the offseason talking about the need to improve from deep, the Pistons at least gave themselves a template worth watching closely as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]
John Collins Already Has The Pistons Facing A Tough Defensive Question
John Collins first night in a Pistons uniform offered an early glimpse of both the upside and the problems Detroit will have to sort through. He gave the team some useful minutes with a block and a few offensive rebounds, the kind of activity that can matter in a game where every possession counts. But the bigger takeaway came on the other end, where Collins had a rough time holding up defensively in his new setting.
Detroit tried to work around it by shifting Collins to center, hoping the matchup would settle in, but the adjustment did not really solve the issue. Paul George found room to score against him, and the problem only looked more complicated when bigger opponents came into play, including Mitchell Robinson. For a Pistons group trying to piece together lineups early, Collins fit may end up being defined less by what he can add and more by how they hide what he gives up. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Just Turned Bostons Big Debut Into A Celtics Problem
Bostons season opener quickly turned into a reminder that early NBA games can still say plenty about where a team is headed. The Celtics built a 22-point lead against Detroit, only to let it slip away in a loss that had Jayson Tatum finishing with 13 points on rough shooting while Paul George carried the offensive load with 38 points and also made his presence felt on the defensive end.
Social media did what it always does after a collapse like that, with fans split between frustration at the coaching and player execution and calls to remember how long the season is. From Detroits perspective, it was the kind of result that can travel well beyond one night, because handing Boston an opener like that immediately changes the tone around the Celtics and gives the Pistons an early jolt of attention. [Read more 🡒]