Detroit Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham set a dubious NBA record in his team’s loss against the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
The No. 8-seed Magic defeated the No. 1-seed Pistons 94-88 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven playoffs. The Magic now have the Pistons on the brink, something that would have been unbelievable to think before the series started, given how consistent the Pistons were all season long and how up-and-down the Magic were this year.
One of the reasons that the Pistons have been struggling so much is the number of turnovers the team is committing. In the playoffs, you have to take care of the basketball, or else the other team will take advantage of your mistakes. In Game 4, the Magic had only 10 turnovers, compared to 20 for the Pistons. That’s literally double the number of turnovers, and a big reason why the Pistons lost the game.
Cade Cunningham Sets Dubious NBA Record in Loss
Cunningham, in particular, has not been taking care of the ball well enough this series, especially for an All-NBA player of his caliber. In fact, according to ESPN Insights, “MotorCade” set an NBA record on Monday with his 8 turnovers committed. Combined with 9 turnovers in Game 3 and 7 turnovers in Game 2, Cunningham has set the NBA record for the most turnovers in a three-game span in the playoffs since the NBA officially began tracking the turnovers statistic in 1977-1978, with 24.
Given that Cunningham is the Pistons’ best player, his inability to take care of the ball is a big reason why the No. 1 seed Pistons are down in a 3-1 hole against the No. 8 seed Magic. He simply needs to be much better if the Pistons are going to run the table and win the final three games of the series, or else the Magic are going to pull off a major upset and knock the Pistons out in the first round.
Jalen Duren Also Struggling for Pistons
In addition to Cunningham’s struggles, the team’s other All-Star, center Jalen Duren, has also been struggling in the playoffs. In Game 4, Duren only scored 12 points, this coming after scoring 8 points, 11 points, and 8 points in the first three games of the series. That kind of production just isn’t good enough for someone like Duren, who the Pistons rely on so much to be a major contributor to the team.
The Pistons are an extremely talented squad, but this playoff series against the Magic has exposed them at the wrong point in the season. If they end up losing the series, you have to wonder if management will consider changing coaches. Although Pistons head coach J.B. is up for the NBA Coach of the Year award, if he can’t lead his team to a win over the No. 8 seed Magic, then he could fall on the sword for the team’s struggles.
The Pistons still have a chance to run the table and win the final three games of the series, but if that’s going to happen, then Cunningham and Duren need to really step up their games.
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