Coming off years of losing, the Pistons view this year’s NBA Cup as a chance to experience some high-stakes basketball, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press . The Pistons have been one of the surprises of the tournament, winning their first three games by a combined 28 points. They can clinch a spot in the knockout round by defeating Milwaukee on Tuesday, and coach J.B. Bickerstaff said his team is taking the games very seriously.
“Our guys wanted to win. They came out with a sense of urgency,” he said after Friday’s NBA Cup victory over Indiana. “We talked about it, but this gives our guys an opportunity to play games of significance and see how they respond. I thought our guys did a great job of responding in a positive way, playing with that sense of urgency that you need to play with to win games of significance.”
It’s a huge turnaround from last season, when Detroit went 0-4 in Cup play amid a franchise-record losing streak. That memory was fresh for Cade Cunningham , who recalled being embarrassed by the Pacers a year ago.
“We need every game we can get anyways, but I remember last year, Indiana ran it up on us in the in-season tournament and how serious they took it,” he said. “They were going for points, they just beat us up. This game was really personal for us, but in general, we all wanna go to Vegas and we all want to experience winning something. We’re going for it.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Cunningham had an obvious impact on the team as he returned Friday after missing three games with a left sacroiliac joint sprain, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic . Patterson observes that in addition to his production, Cunningham instills confidence in his teammates that enables them to play at a higher level. “Cade is the type of person and player that he’s with you no matter the good and the bad,” Bickerstaff said. “He believes in you because he watches how hard everybody works and he knows what everybody is capable of. When you have a leader that believes in you, it gives you more comfort and more confidence.”
- Bucks swingman Khris Middleton will miss another game tonight against Washington, but coach Doc Rivers said he’s getting closer to making his season debut, per Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel . Middleton had a scheduled day off for Friday’s practice, but he went through a productive five-on-five session earlier in the week. “He’s progressing,” Rivers told reporters. “I’m going to keep saying it. You can ask as many questions as you want, it’s not going to make him come back faster.”
- The Bulls have many issues to address, but they don’t need to make a coaching change, contends Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times . Billy Donovan has shown an ability to adapt to his personnel, Cowley notes, going from 28th in the league in pace last year to near the top this season.