SAN ANTONIO — Inside the visiting locker room at Frost Bank Center on Thursday night, there was no sense of dejection from the Detroit Pistons.
The San Antonio Spurs swept the regular-season series with a 121-106 win, notching their second win against Detroit in just under two weeks. Rather than hanging their heads, the Pistons were collectively optimistic they’d grow from the loss and be better after dissecting the film.
The Spurs deployed myriad defensive coverages against Cade Cunningham in the two matchups, and their objective of neutralizing him was clear. Stephon Castle has been Cunningham’s primary defender, responsible for picking him up for a full 94 feet. Anytime Cunningham looked to get downhill on screen-and-roll actions, San Antonio was there to trap him.
At one point on Thursday, he was even doubled before he hit half court.
Detroit has emphasized all season that it wants to peak at the right time, and this loss could actually help that. When the postseason arrives, teams will undoubtedly plan to pack the paint on Cunningham, be physical with him and try to force his teammates to beat them. San Antonio’s 104.7 defensive rating is the best in the NBA during the last 10 games and ranks third on the season at 110.0.
If the Pistons can take the small sample size the Spurs have provided during these two matchups and find ways to alleviate pressure off Cunningham, that could bode well for Detroit’s playoff chances.
“When he gets off (the ball), we’ve got to get into the next action and be decisive in what we’re doing,” Jalen Duren told The Athletic. “Because usually when he draws two bodies, sometimes even three, it becomes an advantage. It should be an advantage for us. You’ve just got to capitalize on those moments.
“It’s not the first time this year teams have doubled him and were throwing bodies at him. But we’ve got to be better.”
Cunningham shot a combined 15-of-52 from the field against the San Antonio while averaging 21 points, 9.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.0 steals and 3.5 turnovers. He finished with 26 points on 10-of-26 shooting Thursday. Each of Cunningham’s four turnovers came when he had at least two Spurs defenders in his vicinity.
Ausar Thompson is the Pistons’ second-most effective offensive initiator after Cunningham. Not only does Thompson provide arguably the best point-of-attack defense in the association, he also allows Cunningham the freedom to operate out of off-ball actions that typically negate defenses’ ability to load up on him.
“Teams are going to pick me up (full court), and I’ve got to get turned and worked from 94 feet,” Cunningham said when asked how off-ball actions change the way he’s defended. “It’s just more wear and extra effort. But being able to start on the other end, get the ball in my spot and have a live dribble to go, it’s definitely less load and a little bit easier for me.
“But it’s just about reading what they’re doing and countering that.”
Thompson left with a right ankle sprain two minutes into Thursday’s game. It also didn’t help that Duren picked up four fouls in eight first-half minutes. Ron Holland II also exited with a left eye injury after just 12 minutes.
Isaiah Stewart, who had 18 points and shot 3-of-5 from 3, was asked how Detroit can free Cunningham up offensively.
“There’s always ways,” Stewart said. “We walk away, we watch the film and we learn a lot. I think the beauty of it is, we came from the bottom. We’re still working our way up top, and we’re not a finished product. We’re still learning, and that’s the beauty of it.
“So we’ll continue to look at the film and find ways we can help him when he’s getting doubled and try to continue to propel ourselves forward.”
One bright spot for Cunningham was his 3-point shooting. He was 4 of 7 from long range and looked especially comfortable on his pull-up triples. Though Cunningham is shooting 33.4 percent from distance this season, he’s shooting 35.4 percent on pull-up triples. The uptick is marginal, but off-ball actions could allow Cunningham to conserve energy and be even more potent on off-the-dribble 3s.
Kevin Huerter provided a bright spot for Detroit with Thompson and Holland out. He contributed seven points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 17 minutes while being a team-high plus-15. Huerter is still trying to identify his role since being acquired in a three-team trade last month, and Thursday’s performance could earn him more minutes. Considering he’s a career 37 percent 3-point shooter, he could potentially be an option to help space the floor for Cunningham if he finds his rhythm.
But San Antonio (45-17), the current No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, would be a difficult defensive matchup for the Pistons — or anybody — in the playoffs. Victor Wembanyama, the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, had five blocks on Thursday to go along with his 38 points and 16 rebounds. His defensive prowess at the rim deters opponents from even attempting shots, and the Spurs’ collection of perimeter defenders like Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Carter Bryant allows them to stifle Cunningham in ways other teams can’t.
“They’re a good defensive team,” Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “They have a lot of guys who can get up in you, put pressure on you and then trust the fact that they’ve got (Wembanyama) behind them to protect them. So, of course, there’s things we can do better. I take responsibility, always, for that. It’s my responsibility to help create space, create opportunities for (Cunningham).”