Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham became the first NBA player to record 50 or more points with 10-plus assists and no turnovers in a 144-140 win over the Washington Wizards in double overtime on Thursday.
Turnovers were not officially recorded by the NBA until 1977, so it is uncertain whether Cunningham was the first player to publish this stat line. However, only three players in the last 49 years – Michael Jordan, Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard – had scored 50 with 10 assists and 1 turnover. (Hats off to Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports for this fact.)
Cunningham finished with a career-high 52 points, shooting 16 of 25 from the floor (including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers) and making 17 of 18 free throws in Detroit’s victory.
Advertisement
Washington lost – and fell to 4-9 – despite three players scoring 30 or more points. Trae Young had 37 points with 14 assists, while Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr added 30. Davis also grabbed 15 rebounds and Sarr added 9. The Wizards have lost six straight games, including two of their last three against the Pistons.
The Pistons and Wizards played a close game throughout regulation, trading leads during the fourth quarter. Washington took a 105-102 lead with eight minutes remaining on a layup by Young. Two free throws from Cunningham and a dunk from Paul Reed then gave Detroit the lead again.
Detroit twice took a 3-point advantage before the Wizards tied the score at 110-110 on a short jumper by Davis. But Cunningham responded by making jumpers on two straight possessions to give the Pistons a four-point lead.
Sarr cut Detroit’s lead to 116-115 on a 3-pointer from the wing. After two misses by the Pistons, Young made two free throws to give the Wizards a one-point lead, before Ausar Thompson tied the score with one of two foul shots. Kyshawn George then hit a 3 for a Washington lead.
Advertisement
Four more foul shots from Cunningham put Detroit up three with 1.1 seconds left in regulation. But after a timeout, Young caught the ball on the right wing and scored a game-tying 3-pointer with Reed and Ron Holland defending him.
Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff wasn’t happy about allowing Young’s shot, saying “we didn’t pay attention to the details.”
“We hold ourselves to higher standards,” he added. “In certain moments when you have to be able to generate a save, you have to be able to trust yourself.”
In the first overtime period, the Wizards took a 130-121 lead, capped by a Sarr dunk off a Davis lob. From there, the Pistons went on an 11-2 run – with 7 points from Cunningham – to get back on top. Yet Wizards rookie AJ Dybantsa hit a jumper from the free throw line to extend the game into another overtime period.
Advertisement
A 3-point basket by Cunningham gave Detroit the lead in the second overtime, a narrow lead the Pistons would hold until 1:10 left when Bilal Coulibaly evened the score at 140-140 on a dunk. Still, Cunningham gave the Pistons the lead for good on a mid-range jumper with 25 seconds left. Two free throws by Kevin Huerter gave Detroit its final four-point margin.
“To be able to do what he does when asked, it’s unique and special,” Bickerstaff said of Cunningham. “He never ceases to amaze. He just understands what it takes to achieve it and has all the capabilities to achieve it.”
Advertisement
Daniss Jenkins added 21 points for the Pistons, who improved to 8-3 (5-1 on the road) with the win. Thompson recorded his first career triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, along with 3 steals and 3 blocks. Robinson and Reed each had 13 points.
Gn sports
