DET 130, BKN 77: Cunningham Goes Nuclear With 59.8 Yahoo FP
Marcus Thompson Jr.
Fire Lieutenant ยท Golden State Warriors fan
Pistons Dismantle Nets 130-77: Cade's Playmaking Carries the Day, But the Scoring Dip Is Real
This wasn't a game. This was a public execution. The Pistons dropped 130 on Brooklyn and made it look like practice, winning 130-77 in what amounts to the most lopsided fantasy showcase of the week. But here's the thing, and I'm gonna be straight with you, not everyone who ate tonight is a buy going forward.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cade Cunningham | 70.0 | 59.8 | 18/4/12 | 25.2/5.6/9.8 | -7.2 |
| Jalen Duren | 48.0 | 43.5 | 21/10/3 | 18.0/10.7/1.8 | +3.0 |
| Ausar Thompson | 47.0 | 38.1 | 9/8/3 | 10.6/6.0/2.7 | -1.6 |
| Daniss Jenkins | 31.0 | 27.3 | 18/4/1 | 8.0/1.8/3.4 | +10.0 |
| Marcus Sasser | 34.0 | 25.0 | 10/0/4 | 5.9/0.9/1.9 | +4.1 |
| Danny Wolf | 15.0 | 23.0 | 6/10/4 | 7.8/4.5/1.9 | -1.8 |
| Tobias Harris | 24.0 | 20.9 | 11/2/3 | 13.6/4.6/2.5 | -2.6 |
| Ben Saraf | 14.0 | 17.2 | 4/1/4 | 4.7/1.5/2.6 | -0.7 |
| Drake Powell | 17.0 | 17.1 | 12/3/1 | 6.2/1.6/1.6 | +5.8 |
| Day'Ron Sharpe | 6.0 | 16.2 | 8/11/0 | 8.0/6.5/2.2 | +0.0 |
The Cade Paradox
Cade Cunningham put up a 59.8 Yahoo line, which sounds ridiculous, and it was. 18 points, 4 boards, 12 assists in 26 minutes. The dude was orchestrating everything, getting everyone touches. This is peak Cade right here.
But hold up. He shot 3-7 from the free throw line and scored 7 points less than his season average. You're not freaking out on him, right? Good. What we saw was a floor general in a total mismatch, which is the dream for your backup PG. The issue is that blowouts compress playing time. He won't hit 59 Yahoo every night, but the 12 assists on an All-NBA season trajectory (his accolades are locked in from last year as a Second Team all-NBA caliber player) tells you everything you need. This dude is gonna be solid.
Jalen Duren Is What We Thought He Was
Jalen Duren went 21/10/3 in 24 minutes and looked exactly like what a 10.7 rebound guy should look like. Nothing flashy, just efficient work. 8-12 from the field, perfect free throw shooting. He's your steady big man. Not a superstar, not a bust. Just exactly meeting expectations. That's actually the most boring good news you can get in fantasy.
The Deep Bench Won the Night
Here's where it gets spicy. Daniss Jenkins put up 18 points on 6-9 shooting and scored 10 MORE points than his season average. That's your classic blowout inflation. Same with Drake Powell at 12 points, +5.8 vs his norm. Day'Ron Sharpe grabbed 11 boards in a 53-point blowout. These are guys who were getting real minutes because the game was over by halftime.
Don't chase these numbers. I'm not saying Jenkins is trash, but he's an 8-point guy who got 18 because Brooklyn quit. In close games, he's not getting that volume. Same story with Powell. Fantasy is about consistency, and blowouts create illusions.
Ausar Thompson's Quiet Dominance
Ausar Thompson was the only Brooklyn player who looked like he belonged on a real team tonight, dropping 9/8/3 with 3 steals and 2 blocks in 24 minutes. That's your young wing with All-NBA defensive pedigree (he made First Team All-Defensive last year) showing up in a blowout loss. He's still a hold, still valuable, just in a bad situation.
The Nets Are Cooked
Danny Wolf pulled down 10 boards for Brooklyn but shot 2-9. Ben Saraf went 0-5 from the field. Cam Thomas was 4-10. The Nets got demolished and there's nothing to glean here except that New York is a lottery team disguised as a real NBA roster. Michael Porter Jr. didn't even suit up, which tells you everything about what the Nets organization is doing right now.
The Bottom Line
Celebrate Cade's 59.8 night because his playmaking is real, and celebrate Duren's boring efficiency because that's what you drafted him for. But do not add Jenkins, Powell, or Sharpe thinking they've unlocked some new dimension. They benefited from the Nets being the worst team in the building.
This game was about execution from the Pistons in a total mismatch. Fantasy-wise, it confirmed what we already knew. Now move on to tomorrow's slate.