Pistons crush Sacramento 139-116 with a sparkling Cade Cunningham

The Detroit Pistons delivered a true offensive showcase on Sunday, crushing the Sacramento Kings 139-116, securing their fifth win in six games. Led by a sparkling Cade Cunningham (29 points, 11 assists), the Pistons erased their home loss to Houston last Friday to solidify their position as Eastern Conference leaders with a record of 33 wins and 11 losses.

After a balanced first quarter (35-35), Detroit took control from the start of the second period. The Pistons capitalized on the opponent’s first lapse to go on a decisive 15-4 run, highlighted by Daniss Jenkins‘ three-pointer and Ron Holland II’s transition dunk to push the score to 50-39. This sequence set the tone for a one-sided contest.

Cade Cunningham goes downhill one direction, stops and changes direction on a dime with a behind the back, splits the defense, and then adjusts to another defender at the rim

And it looks completely effortless to him

He’s special, man pic.twitter.com/8ESCUi0Yk6

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) January 25, 2026

A remarkable collective performance led by Cunningham

Cade Cunningham was above the fray, finishing 13-of-22 from the field including 3-of-5 from three-point range in just 30 minutes of play. The Pistons’ point guard schooled Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schröder, recording his best game since returning from a wrist injury two weeks ago. Jalen Duren perfectly complemented this performance with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while Tobias Harris added 16 points.

Detroit’s roster depth also showed with eight players scoring at least 11 points. This offensive distribution allowed the Pistons to achieve their second-best offensive performance of the season with 139 points, only surpassing their 142-115 win against Atlanta a month and a half ago.

On Sacramento’s side, Domantas Sabonis‘ return to the starting lineup after two months out with a knee injury wasn’t enough. The Lithuanian center compiled 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes, but the Kings suffered their fifth consecutive loss. Malik Monk led the offense with 19 points, followed by DeMar DeRozan with 16 points, but Sacramento never found an answer to Detroit’s intensity.

The end of the game was marked by Ron Holland II’s ejection after an altercation with Keon Ellis, an unfortunate incident while the Pistons were already leading 130-110. This victory confirms Detroit’s rise to power, as they seem particularly comfortable against the Kings after already dropping 136 points on them earlier this season.