Some nights a star player simply refuses to let a game slip away. Thursday in Washington was one of those nights for Cade Cunningham, who scored a career-high 52 points and handed out 11 assists as the Detroit Pistons survived the Wizards 144-140 in double overtime at Capital One Arena.
The number that will follow this performance around is not the 52. It is the zero. Cunningham did not commit a single turnover, and according to OptaSTATS he is the first NBA player to record 50 points and 10 assists without a giveaway since the league began tracking turnovers in 1977-78.
A Game That Would Not End
Detroit started slowly, built a double-digit lead early in the second half and then watched Washington chip away in a contest that featured 20 lead changes. With the Pistons clinging to a 119-118 edge and under two seconds left, Cunningham was fouled and calmly made both free throws. Trae Young answered with a three-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.
The Wizards then opened the first extra period with seven straight points to lead 128-121. Cunningham tied it with a three-pointer in the final 30 seconds and found Duncan Robinson for what looked like another, but replay ruled Robinson’s toe was on the line. That left the door open for this year’s No. 1 pick, AJ Dybantsa, whose pull-up jumper sent the game to a second overtime.
In the second extra session, Cunningham scored from the baseline to make it 142-138 with 25.3 seconds remaining, and Washington could not produce a third escape. He finished 16 of 25 from the field and 17 of 18 from the free-throw line.
The Supporting Cast
Ausar Thompson posted the first triple-double of his career with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and Daniss Jenkins scored 21 before fouling out. On the other side, Washington got 30-point nights from three starters: Young had 37 points and 14 assists despite shooting 8 of 23, while Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr scored 30 apiece. Sarr was perfect from the field in regulation and finished 12 of 14. It was the franchise’s first trio of 30-point scorers since the Baltimore Bullets did it in 1969.
None of it was enough to stop a Wizards slide that has now reached six straight losses.
Why It Matters for Detroit
There is a symmetry here that Pistons fans will enjoy. Cunningham’s previous career high, 46 points, came just over a year ago against the same opponent, on a night defined as much by volume as by efficiency. This time he was surgical, and the contrast says a lot about how his game has matured. Detroit has now beaten Washington twice in four games, after overcoming 44 points from Davis on Monday, and improved to 8-3.
Cunningham framed the finish as a test of will. “I’d bet on my team any day,” he said afterward.
What Comes Next
The Pistons visit Miami on Saturday night, while the Wizards host Houston on Sunday. For Detroit, the bigger question is whether nights like this become the standard. A lead guard who can carry 52 points of offense without a single mistake is the kind of player who turns a good team into a dangerous one, and Cunningham just made that case as loudly as anyone in the league this season.
