Ill-timed turnovers cost the Pistons a chance to grab a commanding lead in their series with the Cavaliers, and they know they’ll need to take better care of the ball in tonight’s Game 4, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. The worst offender was Cade Cunningham, who had eight turnovers in Saturday’s game and three in the final two-and-a-half minutes. Cunningham is the leading scorer in this year’s playoffs at 30.2 PPG, but he also has the most giveaways with 58.

“Just careless turnovers. I wouldn’t even say ‘careless,’” Cunningham said after the Game 3 loss. “I care about (them) a lot. Just bad plays that could’ve got shots on the rim and could’ve gave us an opportunity to win this game.”

The Pistons’ 16 turnovers resulted in 27 Cleveland points and likely squandered a game they led in many other significant categories. Detroit took 91 shots compared to 74 for the Cavs and won the rebounding battle by a 40-33 margin. They held a 17-5 advantage in offensive boards, which led to 19 second-chance points to Cleveland’s 11.

“That’s too many turnovers for us as a group. Sixteen is too many,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Give up 27 points off those turnovers … our defense is so stingy if we get you in the half court. We’ve just got to make sure we get shots on goal so we can set our defense and make people have to work through it.”

There’s more on the Pistons:

• Isaiah Stewart emphasized that injuries aren’t the reason for his reduced playing time, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News states in a subscriber-only piece. After playing nine minutes in the first half on Saturday, Stewart didn’t return to the game as Bickerstaff opted to go with Paul Reed, who helped spark a comeback from a 17-point deficit. Davis notes that it’s the third time in this year’s playoffs that Stewart has played fewer than 10 minutes. “I’m 100% healthy,” he said. “I know people are wondering if the reason I’m playing short minutes and short stints is injury-related, but it is not. I’ve been available to play. … When my name is not called, but P. Reed’s is, I cheer for him. He did his thing (in Game 3). He went out there and brought the energy for us.”
• Ausar Thompson should be a fixture in the Pistons’ closing lineup, argues Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). Windsor contends that Bickerstaff’s biggest mistake on Saturday was removing Thompson from a tie game with 3:05 remaining and replacing him with Daniss Jenkins. Thompson’s shaky outside shooting makes it difficult to provide enough spacing for the offense, but he more than makes up for that deficiency with his defensive prowess. Windsor points out that Thompson had the team’s second-highest plus/minus rating in the game, while Jenkins hadn’t made a shot all day.
• In a separate Free Press story, Windsor lists five things the Pistons need to do to reclaim control of the series.