Cade Cunningham scored a career-high 52 points and had 11 assists, and the Detroit Pistons outlasted the Washington Wizards 144-140 in double overtime on Thursday night at Capital One Arena. The Cade Cunningham 52 points total set a new career high for the Pistons guard, and he did it without a turnover in 47 minutes and 59 seconds on the court.
Cunningham shot 16 of 25 from the field, made three of five attempts from three-point range and converted 17 of 18 free throws. He also collected five rebounds, one steal and one block. Cunningham played 47 minutes and 59 seconds. His previous career high was 46 points, set just over a year ago, and also against Washington.
Cade Cunningham 52 points set a league first
Cunningham became the first NBA player with 50 points, 10 assists and no turnovers since the league began tracking turnovers in 1977-78, according to OptaSTATS. He is also the first Pistons player to produce a 50-point, 10-assist game. The Cade Cunningham 52 points line included 30 points across the fourth quarter and both overtime periods, with 18 of them in the fourth quarter alone.
He passed his previous career high with a three-pointer in the first overtime, tying the game at 130. He opened the second overtime with another three-pointer, putting Detroit ahead for good. The Cade Cunningham 52 points game was his first 50-point game, and it came after he scored a total of 31 points over Detroit’s last two games. The Cade Cunningham 52 points total included 12 points in the two overtime periods.
How the Wizards forced two overtimes
Trae Young’s 3-pointer at the buzzer forced the first overtime, and rookie AJ Dybantsa’s midrange effort with less than a second left sent the teams to another overtime. Young led Washington with 37 points and 14 assists, and the Wizards twice extended the game with last-second shots, both of them at the buzzer or with less than a second left.
It was still a two-point game in the final minute, but Cunningham scored from the baseline to make it 142-138 with 25.3 seconds left. The Pistons led 142-138 after Cunningham’s shot, and Washington could not close the gap in the time that remained. Ausar Thompson registered the first triple-double of his NBA career, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and Bilal Coulibaly dunked to pull Washington within two with 1:14 remaining before Cunningham hit the fadeaway jumper.
Cade Cunningham 52 points in Pistons history
The Cade Cunningham 52 points total tied the fourth-highest single-game scoring total in franchise history. Jerry Stackhouse scored 57 points in a 2001 game, Kelly Tripucka had 56 in 1983, Dave Bing had 54 in 1971 and George Yardley scored 52 in 1958. Cunningham matched Yardley’s 52, which was set in 1958.
Cunningham became the third Pistons player with a 50-point double-double, joining Yardley, who did it twice in 1957-58, and Blake Griffin in 2018-19. He became the fifth player with a 50-point double-double and zero turnovers in a game since 1977-78, joining Michael Jordan, who did it twice, Moses Malone, Carmelo Anthony and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Cunningham is the first Pistons player with a 50-point game since Malachi Flynn in 2024. The Cade Cunningham 52 points game was the fourth 50-point game in the NBA this season, after two from Luka Doncic and one from Victor Wembanyama.
Thompson’s night and the Pistons’ record
The Cade Cunningham 52 points night also featured a first career triple-double from Ausar Thompson, who finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Thompson followed Cunningham’s three-pointer to open the second overtime with a layup, and the pair gave Detroit a 137-132 lead.
Detroit moved to 8-3 with the win, while Washington dropped to 4-9 and lost its sixth straight game. Detroit beat the Wizards for the second time in four games, and the Pistons play at Miami on Saturday.