DETROIT — In what was perceived as the most unlikely game to win at this juncture of the Pistons' brutal schedule, Detroit weathered a 36-point third quarter by the reigning NBA champions with their own offensive explosion.
Detroit produced 37 points of its own in the third quarter — combined with with a career scoring night from Isaiah Stewart and balanced offensive production from its starters — to earn their second win of the season, a 128-114 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
In the midst of a barrage of 3-pointers by Jordan Poole, fans inside Little Caesars Arena erupted during a sequence in which Cade Cunningham blocked Stephen Curry's layup attempt midway through the third quarter. Seconds later, Jaden Ivey took the ball the length of the floor and forcefully threw down a dunk over James Wiseman.
It served as as statement for a young Pistons team desperately seeking a win after losing their last five games. The win also marked Detroit's first win over Golden State since Jan. 4, 2020.
The Pistons' scoring was well-balanced amongst the starting group. Saddiq Bey led the team with 28 points and five rebounds. Stewart had a career-high 24 points along with 13 rebounds while connecting on 10 of his 11 free throws. Cunningham flirted with a triple-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Bojan Bogdanovic, who agreed to a two-year extension with the Pistons on Sunday, added 21 points, three rebounds and three assists. Ivey had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The offensive cohesion from the first unit was needed, especially since the Pistons only received 17 points from their bench.
Golden State's high-powered offense (fourth in the NBA in points per game) was without Klay Thompson due to injury management, so Poole started in his place. The former Michigan guard put on a show, specifically in the third quarter when he scored 18 of his 30 points. He knocked down five of six shots from the 3-point line in that period.
Curry scored a game-high 32 points and added six rebounds. Outside of Curry and Poole, the only Warriors player to reach double scoring figures was Andrew Wiggins, who tallied 10 points and three rebounds.
The Warriors, who finished 12-for-39 from the 3-point line, struggled to score for the majority of the first half. Five of those of those triples were from Poole.
Cunningham continued his offensive groove from the mid-range, including a stepback from the baseline and a string of dribble moves before nailing one over Curry in the latter part of the first quarter.
Several celebrities were in attendance for Sunday's win, including hip-hop legend E-F0, Detroit rapper Royce Da 5'9", former Michigan Fab Five member Jalen Rose and Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo. Rose was animated throughout the game, clapping and standing after most of Cunningham's baskets.
The Pistons (2-5) will head to Milwaukee for their first of two games against the Bucks this week, starting with Monday's game at the Fiserv Forum.
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