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Cade Cunningham’s Honest Reaction to Detroit Pistons Rookie’s Ejection

What does Cade Cunningham think about Ron Holland's early exit against the Jazz?
Justin Grasso|
Dec 3, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) talks with the referee during a break in the action against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Dec 3, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) talks with the referee during a break in the action against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsUtah Jazz

As the Detroit Pistons’ matchup against the Utah Jazz got firey, Cade Cunningham’s rookie teammate found himself exiting the game early as he was hit with an ejection.

The first-round draft selection, Ron Holland, has proved he’s not one to back down. On Thursday, he also showed the Jazz and any other opponent that he’s willing to get involved with chippiness, even if it’s technically not his battle to fight.

When Pistons veteran Paul Reed bumped into Jazz standout Jordan Clarkson, they shared words. Reed kept it moving as Clarkson stood still. Soon after, Holland flew over with fists up ready for a potential scrap.

"That’s who Ron is,” said Pistons star Cade Cunningham. “Ron is a super loyal dude. [He’s a] super tough-minded dude. I could’ve had my eyes closed and guessed who was going to be in the middle of it. That’s just who he is."

An ejection might not always go over well with everyone on a team, but Cunningham doesn’t seem bothered by it. Emotions were high for Detroit, who were looking to form a spark, and Holland got a little carried away at the moment.

Holland became Detroit’s second player to get ejected this season. Earlier in the year, the backup center Isaiah Stewart was booted after a hard foul went to review and was deemed flagrant 2.

The rookie left the game after seeing the court for just 12 minutes. He finished his night with four points and three rebounds.

The Pistons struggled to bounce back from the first-quarter beatdown they suffered. After getting outscored by nearly 30 points, the Pistons dropped their 17th loss of the season with a 126-119 defeat against Utah.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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