Perhaps even better than taking Game 1 of the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers is that the Detroit Pistons best player, Cade Cunnigham, didn’t actually play that well until the closing minutes when he needed to put the game away. The fact that the Pistons were able to walk away with a 111-101 win despite a subpar offensive showing from Cade. If you remove the final 5 minutes of crunch time, the star point guard was just 5-of-17 with equal parts turnovers and assists — four. The Pistons were thriving because so many other players were performing so well. Jalen Duren had more freedom than against the Magic, the ball was moving more freely side to side, which opened up shots for Duncan Robinson and driving lanes for Daniss Jenkins. Yes, the Pistons might not be able to rely on a plus-9 free-throw advantage tonight, but this might also be a much better Cunningham performance. If the Pistons can play as loose on offense, as intense on defense, and Cade unlocks more of his game, the Pistons could be up 2-0 by the end of the night. They will need to continue to force Donovan Mitchell and James Harden into tough looks while at the same time not losing sight of Cleveland’s big men or its roster of reliable shooters. But Detroit certainly has the defense capable of answering that call.

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Prime Video
Odds: Pistons -3.5

Detroit Pistons (1-0)

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1)

James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen