How Cade Cunningham's 3 turnovers down stretch doomed Pistons in Game 3 vs. Cavs
How Cade Cunningham's 3 turnovers down stretch doomed Pistons in Game 3 vs. Cavs originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Detroit Pistons had a chance to secure a 3-0 series lead on Saturday, but the Cleveland Cavaliers survived the game 116-109 to get their first win of the series. Cade Cunningham is a big reason why Detroit is here in the first place, as he's carried the team to this point. However, Cunningham's mistakes on Saturday afternoon played a big role in Detroit's loss, giving Cleveland several opportunities, In the final three minutes, Cunningham turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions, which led to four Cavaliers points.
Had Cunningham protected the ball better, Detroit may have been able to bury Cleveland on the brink of elimination. Here's a look at Cunningham's crucial mistakes. NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket Cade Cunningham turnovers down the stretch Cade Cunningham once again put up a strong stat line against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he had a brutal three-play stretch that ultimately doomed the Detroit Pistons.
First, in a tie game, the point guard threw an inbounds pass right to Max Strus, who went the other way to give Cleveland a two-point lead. Then, Cunningham threw a pass into the hands of Jarrett Allen, but Cleveland was unable to take advantage with a bucket. Finally, Cunningham tried to find Tobias Harris on the wing, but his pass was wide and out of bounds, resulting in Cavaliers ball.
James Harden would go on to make a bucket and give the Cavaliers a four-point lead, as Cleveland held on to win by seven. With 2:34 remaining in the fourth quarterโฆ Cade Cunningham turnover Cade Cunningham turnover Cade Cunningham turnover Three straight possessions. pic.