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.