Cunningham scores 33 as Detroit crush Charlotte 124-91

Detroit led by 33 points with five minutes left (118-85) and won 124-91 at the Spectrum Center on Monday 2 November 2026, before a crowd of 18,760. Cade Cunningham scored 33 points on 13 of 20 shooting, with 7 assists and 5 steals, in 27 minutes. The Pistons finished with 47 field goals made from 82 attempts. The Hornets made 32 from 84 and turned the ball over 27 times.

For Charlotte, Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams were ruled out in the latest provisional injury report. For Detroit, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Joe were in the same position. Charlotte also expected Coby White back after he missed the first seven games of the season with a calf injury, on a minutes restriction. Detroit's streak was listed at three straight wins after this game.

Charlotte ahead, but only briefly

The Hornets took the first lead (3-0, with 11:39 left in the first quarter), and it was the biggest they had all night: three points. Detroit retook the lead (13-9 at 7:32), then Charlotte answered with an 8-0 run that turned 9-15 into 17-15. The Pistons immediately returned the favour with an 8-0 run of their own, from 17-15 to 17-23. The first quarter ended 27-24 to Detroit.

The second quarter began in the same vein. With 5.8 seconds left in the first quarter, Charlotte trailed 22-27; a fresh 8-0 run put it back in front, 30-27, at 9:54 in the second quarter. The lead changed hands seven times in all. At 38-39, Detroit produced an 8-0 burst in one minute, up to 38-47 at 5:06, and won the quarter 38-30. The two sides went to the locker rooms at 65-54 to the Pistons.

A 19-0 run that shuts the door

The third quarter widened the gap. At 75-79, with 4:39 left, the Hornets were still within four points. Detroit then reeled off 19 unanswered points, up to 98-75 at 1:09 to go in the quarter. Charlotte scored only 21 points in the period, against 33 for its opponent.

In the final period, Detroit added an 8-0 run to reach 106-77 at 8:50, then 118-85 five minutes from the buzzer, the biggest margin of the game. Final score: 124-91.

The standout lines

Cunningham led the way, then: 33 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and a plus-minus of +19. Duncan Robinson backed him up with 24 points on 6 of 9 from three-point range, and a +25 in 32 minutes, the best plus-minus among the players featured here. Ausar Thompson added 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Paul Reed contributed 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting, with 2 blocks and a +23 in 28 minutes. Kevin Huerter (9 points, 3 of 5 from three) and Ronald Holland II (11 points) also contributed for Detroit.

For Charlotte, Brandon Miller was the top scorer with 17 points and 4 assists, but on 7 of 18 shooting, including 3 of 11 from three, with a plus-minus of -14. Naz Reid delivered 13 points and 6 rebounds. Moussa Diabate grabbed 9 rebounds and had 3 steals, for 7 points, and his team were outscored by 23 points during his 24 minutes. Grayson Allen scored 11 points, with 3 of 7 from three, and has the heaviest plus-minus among the players mentioned: -26 in 19 minutes.

Three key points

A 33-point margin. Charlotte never led by more than three points, while Detroit went as high as 33. The Pistons won each of the four quarters, and their longest documented run here, a 19-0 burst in the third, lasted less than four minutes.

Turnovers proved costly. Charlotte lost the ball 27 times, Detroit 15. The Pistons dished out 30 assists, against 19 for the Hornets. They also made 18 of 37 from three-point range, while Charlotte hit 13 of 44.

Charlotte won the rebounding battle, not the game. The Hornets pulled down 44 rebounds, against 37 for Detroit. The free-throw line didn't change the picture: Charlotte 14 of 19, Detroit 12 of 15.

The SNA view

The numbers describe a lopsided night. Charlotte attempted 84 shots and made 32, including 13 of 44 from beyond the arc, while handing the opposition 27 possessions. At that rate, the 44 rebounds were cancelled out by the turnovers and the poor shooting. Detroit, for their part, found a player with 33 points in 27 minutes and a shooter who went 6 of 9 from three, with 30 assists on 47 baskets. The 124-point total owes as much to shooting as to the ball movement that shows up in the box score. For Charlotte, the priority comes down to one number: 27.

What next. Detroit improve to 6-1 and sit second in the Eastern Conference. They host Philadelphia on 5 November at 1 a.m., Brazzaville time. Charlotte fall to 3-5, ninth in the East, and travel to Brooklyn the same day at 1:30 a.m., Brazzaville time.