November 3, 2026 at 7:04 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Cunningham Scores 33 in 27 Minutes as Pistons Beat Hornets by 33 on Coby White's Return Night

By How we produce articles

Cade Cunningham hit 13 of 20 shots in barely more than half a game, and Detroit pulled away from Charlotte 124-91 in the rematch.

Cade Cunningham needed only 27 minutes to score 33 points, and the Pistons beat the Hornets by exactly that many, 124-91, on Monday in Charlotte. Cunningham made 13 of 20 shots and 4 of 7 from three, adding seven assists and five rebounds. Detroit was without Jalen Duren, out with a hamstring strain, and never seemed to notice.

Charlotte's night was supposed to turn on Coby White, back after missing the first seven games with a calf injury. He played 16 minutes and finished with 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting, with three assists. Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 17 points, but he needed 18 shots to get there and made 3 of 11 from deep. Charlotte (3-5) has now lost four straight, and the first of those was a close one against these same Pistons last week.

The game was close for about a quarter. Detroit led 27-24 after one, then scored 38 in the second to take a 65-54 halftime lead. Duncan Robinson did much of the damage from outside, finishing with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 6 of 9 from three, in a team-high 32 minutes. He was the only other Piston past 20. Cunningham and Robinson together took only 31 shots between them and made 21.

The third quarter ended any suspense. Detroit outscored Charlotte 33-21 to go up 98-75, and the fourth, 26-16 for the Pistons, was a formality. The Pistons (6-1) got steady work from the rest of the rotation, with Ausar Thompson scoring 14 on 5-of-7 shooting and Paul Reed adding 11 on 5-of-6. Daniss Jenkins scored only two points but handed out seven assists. For Charlotte, Naz Reid had 13 points and Sion James and Grayson Allen each had 11, and nobody else got the offense moving.

Sources

All game reports