Cunningham strengthens Pistons’ lead in the East with win over Celtics

The Pistons again proved that, right now, they are the team to beat in the East. With another outstanding performance by Cade Cunningham, Detroit tightened its grip on the conference lead with a hard-fought win over the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors climbed into third place in the East with a victory over the Miami Heat.

The Pistons point guard starred in another brilliant offensive performance (32 points) in a tightly contested game in which the score changed hands 15 times before Detroit distanced itself in the closing minutes.

Cunningham, who averages nearly 27 points per game this season, made six 3-pointers and hit 11 of 21 shots from the field to help Detroit to a 21-5 record lead in the East.

An intense game

But Detroit had to dig deep for its fourth straight win because of a tenacious performance by Boston, which built as much as a 12-point lead in the second quarter. "We love tough, close games like this," Cunningham said. "I think these types of games motivate us even more."

Detroit's starters were supported by 47 points off the bench, with Caris LeVert contributing 13 points in 19 minutes on the court and Jaden Ivey adding 10. "We have a very complete roster; we have starters at every position," Cunningham said. "Players who come in and do their job better than anyone in the league."

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 34 points, while Derrick White finished with 31.

Toronto's rise

Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors improved their record to 16-11 and moved up to third place in the Eastern Conference with a 106-96 away win over the Miami Heat.

Brandon Ingram's 28 points were key for Toronto, which outscored Miami 32-19 in the final quarter to secure the victory.

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