Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham and forward / center Paul Reed took the last two three-point attempts for Detroit in their 113-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, and both Cunningham and Reed came up empty handed in heartbreaking fashion. 

Cunningham, who is not known for his long-range acuity, hoisted up an airball with seven seconds left when the Pistons were trailing by three points. Cunningham’s attempt from distance was a last gasp, one final effort to potentially force overtime… and he missed everything— the rim, the backboard, all of it.

Now, Cunningham has begun to chalk out his reputation as one of the most clutch players in the NBA this season. No player in the league averages more points in the fourth quarter than Cunningham, and the All-Star point guard has been responsible for single-handedly guiding the Pistons to multiple wins late in the fourth quarter as recently as last week. 

So, when Cunningham elevated over the Bucks defender with less than 10 seconds remaining and a game-tying shot on the line, the Pistons expected the third-team All-NBA point guard to knock down the pressure-filled shot. After all, that’s what Cunningham has done all season long en route to the Pistons first place position in the Eastern Conference.

Should The Detroit Pistons Enter The Giannis Sweepstakes? Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly working with his team to find a trade partner

But unlike past shots that have come in the clutch this season, Cunningham did not drill this attempt from behind the arc. Cunningham did not even rattle the ball around the rim. Instead, he simply airballed, and the Pistons hopes fell just as short as the shot did. 

At the end, Cunningham finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and one steal, but his performance will likely be remembered for the clutch shot that he unceremoniously blew. But that happens in the NBA, and Cunningham will have another opportunity to properly guide the Pistons to victory two days from now. 

Apart from Cunningham’s performance, Tobias Harris posted a team-high 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting and added five rebounds to his total. Since the Pistons were missing Duncan Robinson due to injury, Harris picked up the three-point shooting responsibility and connected on five shots from beyond the arc against the Bucks. 

And in perhaps his best showing since returning from injury, Pistons guard Jaden Ivey logged 15 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes, which is the most Ivey has played this season. It looks like Ivey’s minutes restriction has shifted from 15 to 20 minutes at the moment.

READ MORE: J.B. Bickerstaff Named Eastern Conference Coach Of The Month With Pistons In 1st Place

Giannis Leaves Game, Does Not Return

Early in the first quarter, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a lower-body injury, though it was not immediately apparent what Giannis did to hurt himself. The words ‘hurt himself’ were used in this situation because Giannis suffered a non-contact injury, and there was no one around him when he went down onto the floor.

After suffering the injury, Giannis made a comment about being “pushed,” though the replay clearly shows that no Pistons player was even near Antetokounmpo at the time of his injury. Later on, the Bucks revealed that Giannis suffered a calf strain, which would be very positive news for the team since it was reported before the game that Milwaukee has been requested to seek a trade to the All-Pro talent who has spent his entire career with the Bucks up to this point.

It is believed that Giannis is finally fed up with the roster construction in Milwaukee, and he’s ready to move on to greener pastures, potentially in New York as a member of the Knicks. 

With the loss, the Pistons fall to 17-5 on the season, though Detroit remains in first place in the Eastern Conference. Next, Detroit will play against the Portland Trailblazers at home on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 pm. 

For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.