Cunningham, Duren lead Pistons to victory against Wizards

Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News on Mar 11, 2025

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DETROIT — Cade Cunningham led the Detroit Pistons to a 123-103 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. He came close to posting a triple-double, finishing with 27 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. The Pistons improved to 37-29 overall to begin their three-game homestand on a positive note.

While the first-time All-Star led the way, most of Detroit's impressive moments came from his teammates. At the 9:34 mark of the third quarter, Ausar Thompson (eight points and five rebounds) recorded a block on Alex Sarr, and Jalen Duren ignited the fastbreak. He decided to throw an alley-oop attempt to Thompson. But instead of converting the dunk, Thompson made a one-handed pass to Tim Hardaway Jr., who nailed a 3-point field goal.

The basket gave the Pistons a 22-point advantage (74-52), marking their most significant lead at the time. They led by as many as 24 points amid a wire-to-wire victory. Duren posted his eighth double-double in 12 games with 15 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Hardaway added 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from behind the arc, while Malik Beasley scored 14 points off the bench.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Wizards came within 11 points but never posed a genuine comeback threat. Veteran guard Marcus Smart scored a team-best 16 points. Jordan Poole added 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

Up next

The Pistons will play the final game of their two-game series against the Wizards on Thursday. They will close their three-game homestand on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip-off against the Wizards is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena.

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