Detroit Pistons Outlast Wizards In Double OT Behind Cunningham’s Career-High 52 Points

For the second time in one week, the Detroit Pistons lodged a win over the Washington Wizards, but Thursday night’s double overtime 144-140 victory came strapped with far more twists and turns than their earlier matchup could account for.

In the marathon match, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham delivered a career-high 52 point effort with stellar shooting splits from the field while lacing 11 assists to his teammates without committing a single turnovers in the process. Cunningham, who stands as the All-NBA floor general in the Motor City, was the go-to guy for Detroit late in the game, which included multiple crucial three-pointers to keep the Pistons in contention. 

From the field, Cunningham posted a 16-for-25 shooting line with three connections from long-range while knocking down 17 of his 18 shots from the charity stripe. In all, Detroit’s All-Star point guard had the rock on a string and put the Pistons on his back down the stretch for a performance that will go down in franchise lore as the fourth-highest single-game scoring effort. 

Late in double OT, Cunningham applied a particularly smothering dose of on-ball defense on Trae Young, who sought to lead the Wiz on a comeback in extra time, that effectively sealed the Pistons’ win. Though Cunningham finished with just two stocks, the former No. 1 overall pick was crucial in defensive sets for Detroit since he switched back and forth at the point-of-attack with Ausar Thompson all game long. 

“I tell Cade all the time he’s First-Team [All-Defense],” Thompson said after the game. “He’s First-Team. He’s a great defender and he really wants it.”

Over the past several games, Thompson has focused more on his rebounding effort, but the fourth-year wing had another dominant performance with his first career triple-double. Thompson, who posted 17 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and three blocks, was instrumental in Detroit’s ability to pressure the Wizards all night long. 

“He’s the best in the world at it, and we need that at big moments,” Cunningham said of Thompson’s defense.

Against Washington, Thompson had the task of defending both Young and A.J. Dybantsa at different points of the Eastern Conference battle, which turned into a frustrating day at the office for the former No. 1 overall pick. Dybantsa finished the game with just five points on 2-of-10 shooting. 

While Anthony Davis had a dominant 44-point effort on Monday, the Pistons were able to keep him a bit more in check, but he was still quite productive with 30 points and 15 rebounds. 

For Detroit, Daniss Jenkins was also impactful with 21 points and six rebounds, but he fouled out late in the game. 

In a contest that had 20 total lead changes, the Pistons forced the most decisive one of the night with a four-point victory in double overtime. Moving forward, Detroit had one day off before the Miami Heat on the road for an 8 pm tip-off on Saturday, Nov. 14.