The Detroit Pistons lost Cade Cunningham for the rest of the tonight's game due to back spasms in the first quarter.
With the Detroit Pistons just breaking into a rhythm on Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards, All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham had his night abruptly halted after just five minutes of action.
During the first quarter, Cunningham scored six points off three shots and grabbed a pair of rebounds, but the Motown floor general also took a hard spill on his hip when fighting for a loose ball. Cunningham was substituted out of the game, then the dynamic fifth-year playmaker headed to the locker room for treatment shortly thereafter.
The Pistons PR department confirmed that Cunningham was dealing with back spasms, and the team planned to hold him out of the rest of the game.
With Cunningham unavailable for the remainder of the first half, the Pistons entrusted Marcus Sasser to take over as the squad’s primary creator off the bounce. Sasser logged 14 minutes in the first half with six points coming off a pair of triples and four assists in Cunningham’s absence, and the Pistons entered halftime with a 63-57 lead over the Wizards.
During that opening quarter, Sasser and Kevin Huerter were the first players to come off the bench for Cunningham and Ausar Thompson. Huerter chipped in with four points and three rebounds off the bench, but the Pistons’ primary production was localized to the paint.
With his All-Star teammate missing the action, Jalen Duren upped his ante to help compensate for the offensive load that he’d be asked to shoulder. Duren finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in the first half, so the big man is just a pair of boards away from securing another double-double against their Eastern Conference opponents.
In terms of the game at hand, the Pistons have added only 12 points from the starting contingent of Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris and Ausar Thompson, so Duren is really carrying the brunt of the offensive impetus thus far.
Isaiah Stewart is also out for the game since he’s dealing with rehab on his strained left calf. Earlier in the day, the Pistons confirmed that Stewart would miss at least one week before he’s reevaluated, and Detroit will want to make sure Beef Stew is healthy and ready to go heading into the postseason.
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