Why Steph vs. Cunningham matchup is key to Warriors-Pistons outcome

Why Steph vs. Cunningham matchup is key to Warriors-Pistons outcome originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After a successful five-game trip on the East Coast, the Warriors open a seven-game homestand Saturday against an opponent with striking similarities to their younger selves.

Like the Warriors of 12 years ago, the Detroit Pistons are digging their way out of NBA purgatory and following the lead of a young point guard on the cusp of stardom.

Golden State’s 16-year veteran Stephen Curry and Detroit’s four-year vet Cade Cunningham will be the featured performers when the teams meet Saturday at Chase Center. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 4:30 p.m. with Warriors Pregame, with tipoff scheduled for 5:35.

Like Curry, Cunningham was drafted by a franchise in desperate need of a reset; the Pistons finished below .500 in nine of 11 seasons before he arrived in 2021. Like Curry, Cunningham lost nearly a full season to injury and, two years later, is the centerpiece of a team poised to be a threat in the playoffs.

Curry, 36, is coming off a fantastic road trip during which he posted numbers – 34.8 points and 7.8 assists per game – unprecedented in team history. The Warriors (35-28) are 8-1 since the All-Star break and have moved into sixth place in the Western Conference.

The Pistons (also 35-28) have won 10 of their last 12 games. After finishing a league-worst 14-68 last season, first-year head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has them in sixth place in the East.

Cunningham, 23, is the man most responsible. The first overall selection in the 2021 draft is averaging 25.5 points (11th in the NBA) and 9.4 assists (third). He has put up 35 games with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, trailing only Denver’s three-time MVP Nikola Jokić (44) in that category.

Cunningham has eight triple-doubles this season and is on pace to become the seventh player, joining the likes of LeBron James, Oscar Robertson and Jokić, to average at least 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds in a season.

Unlike Curry, Cunningham does most of his work inside the arc. Using his 6-foot-6, 225-pound physique, he’s second among guards in paint points (12.1 per game) and has forged a terrific pick-and-roll tandem with young center Jalen Duren.

The Warriors will send a platoon of defenders at Cunningham, with Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler III both getting opportunities.

Curry can expect to see plenty of 6-foot-6 forward Ausar Thompson. He’s Detroit’s best perimeter defender and typically gets the toughest assignment.

Cunningham is trying to take the Pistons to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Curry is eager to return to the postseason stage. Upstart vs. established usually equals spirited competition.

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