The San Antonio Spurs emerged victorious after a physical 114-103 bout with the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. With a stellar display on both ends of the floor, Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham had to give props to the Spurs’ squad for their execution.
Dealing with Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama proved to be particularly challenging for the Pistons, something Cade Cunningham noted during his post-game media availability. While addressing Wembanyama’s defensive presence, he shared:
“We just couldn’t figure Wemby out early enough. Changed a lot of our shots, changed our approach, and there were spurts where we found things and did things we like to do. He just changed too many shots and didn’t figure him out early enough.”
Along with Cunningham, Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff also emphasized Wembanyama’s impact on the game, highlighting how the team needed to change its approach before the next matchup.
“You have to go through him, you can’t go around him,” Bickerstaff added. “(Duren) did a great job late, where he was going through him. If you allow him to play in space, he’s too smart, too talented … you have to go through him more.”
Wembanyama dominated on the defensive end against the Pistons. In the process of asserting himself under the rim, the Spurs center logged six blocks, three of which were on Cade Cunningham.
Wemby with the crazy block on Cade Cunningham 😳 pic.twitter.com/4koFFVYoxR
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) February 24, 2026
Additionally, Wembanyama’s 17 rebounds (8 offensive rebounds) also caused issues for the Pistons, who fielded a relatively thinner big man rotation with Isaiah Stewart still serving a suspension.
The Spurs Locked Up Cade Cunningham
While Victor Wembanyama’s defensive effort was a major reason for the Pistons’ loss, their coverage of Cade Cunningham was equally noteworthy. With the likes of Stephon Castle drawing on the task of guarding the Pistons’ superstar, San Antonio restricted Cunningham to 16 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds on 5-26 FG.
When asked about the Castle’s defensive effort while guarding Cade Cunningham, JB Bickerstaff noted that it was a combined effort, stating:
“I mean, it wasn’t just him [Castle]. They had five guys dialed into him, trying to limit what Cade can do and his impact. But we’ll go back and watch the film. We’ll be prepared.”
While Cunningham securing a double-double is still impressive, the Spurs succeeded in choking his ability to create scoring opportunities for the Pistons. With Detroit shooting approximately 38% from the field and 19% from beyond the arc, San Antonio’s defensive execution was undoubtedly top-class.
With this loss, Detroit’s five-game winning streak came to an end, seeing the team fall to 42-13 on the season. Although they reign atop the Eastern Conference with a comfortable 5.5 game differential, the Pistons will need to stack their wins against the top teams in the West to truly assert their status as genuine title contenders.
