What happened: Duncan Robinson buried a 26-foot three-pointer off an assist from Cade Cunningham, putting his team ahead 23-22 with 1:25 left in the first quarter. The make capped an early scoring exchange between the two sides. ESPN's play-by-play feed flagged the bucket in real time.
Why it matters: Robinson's perimeter shooting has been a swing factor whenever defenses load up on Cunningham, and a Cunningham-to-Robinson connection early signals Detroit is finding clean looks against the initial defensive coverage. First-quarter three-point production from secondary scorers often dictates how much help the lead guard sees later in the game. No recent data on tonight's
What to watch: Watch whether Robinson keeps drawing the Cunningham-initiated kickouts as the opposing defense adjusts in the second quarter. A multi-make night from Robinson typically forces switches that open driving lanes for Cunningham.