Cunningham leads Pistons past Sixers as Philadelphia's perfect start ends

Detroit won the battle of the unbeaten sides in Philadelphia, 106–93, on Sunday, 25 October. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Duncan Robinson added 21 points. In front from the first quarter, the visitors held off Tyrese Maxey's 29 points and handed the Sixers their first defeat of the season. Detroit stay perfect with three wins.

Detroit sets the tempo from the start

The first quarter gave the Pistons a lead they then defended. Detroit scored 34 points to Philadelphia's 22. Cunningham provided the initial spark, then the supporting scorers let the visitors keep up their output without relying on one player. The second quarter, which ended 22–22, preserved that twelve-point gap until half-time, 56–44.

Robinson and Jenkins give Detroit breathing room

The Sixers won the third quarter 25–23 and went into the final twelve minutes ten points down, 79–69. They were still in a position to come back. But Detroit found enough answers to stop that narrowing of the gap becoming a turnaround. The Pistons ultimately won the final quarter 27–24.

Robinson made five of his nine three-point attempts. Daniss Jenkins added to that threat from the outside with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Between them, they gave Cunningham key options when the defence focused on stopping the guard creating. John Collins added 16 points and eleven rebounds, also providing a useful presence in the contested possessions near the basket.

Rebounding and shooting from deep make the difference

Detroit pulled down 54 rebounds to Philadelphia's 37, fifteen of them offensive. Those offensive boards gave the Pistons extra chances to score. The Pistons also converted 14 of their 34 three-point attempts; the Sixers made seven of 27. That gap in perimeter efficiency weighed heavily in a game in which Philadelphia had to chase the score.

Maxey finished as the game's top scorer with 29 points, but his team could not find enough consistency to erase its early deficit. LeBron James scored 18 points and Jaylen Brown 16, the latter making five baskets from twenty attempts. Adem Bona grabbed thirteen rebounds and blocked three shots. Those efforts were not enough against Detroit's many options.

After the game, the Pistons are 3–0 and the Sixers 3–1. Beyond the result, Detroit leave with a win built by several players: Cunningham creating, Robinson and Jenkins punishing from distance, Collins adding weight in the rebounding battle.

Match sheet and stats on SNA.

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Official NBA highlights