The Detroit Pistons received a dose of bad news regarding Cade Cunningham on Thursday morning
The bad news keeps on coming for the Detroit Pistons lately, and the most recent injury update on star point guard Cade Cunningham arrives at a crucial inflexion point in the 2025-26 regular season with the postseason just around the corner.
On Thursday, the Pistons announced that Cunningham would be sidelined for at least two weeks as the All-Star floor general receives treatment for pneumothorax, which is more commonly referred to as a collapsed lung.
In Detroit’s last game against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, Cunningham dove for a loose ball in the first quarter, and he was rewarded with a swift knee in the back as the prize for his hard work. Cunningham opted to play through the pain at first, but the Pistons subbed Cade out of the game after just five minutes and sent their franchise player to the locker room for further evaluation.
At first, Cunningham’s injury was described as back spasms, and he was held out of the rest of the Washington game. Yesterday, Cunningham appeared on the injury report for tonight’s contest but was listed as out due to a back contusion. Now, Cunningham’s injury is understood to be a collapsed lung, which is a more serious condition that will require multiple weeks of rest before the Pistons’ leader can return.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a collapsed lung is a condition where air leaks into the space between the lung and the chest. When that air pushes back on the lung, a partial or full collapse occurs, which is formally referred to as pneumothorax.
Cunningham’s injury comes at a pivotal time in the Pistons’ season with Isaiah Stewart also unavailable as the Motown squad looks to maintain their first place seed in the Eastern Conference. At the moment, the Pistons would have home court advantage in the playoffs up until the NBA Finals if they were to make it that far, and the Boston Celtics are making a late charge for that top spot with the return of Jayson Tatum lifting their lineup recently.
With Cunningham out of the lineup, the Pistons will likely rely on a combination of Marcus Sasser and Daniss Jenkins to fill the sizable gap left in Cade’s wake. After Cunningham left Tuesday’s game in the first quarter, Jenkins stepped up with a crucial 15-point, seven-assist performance to help propel the Pistons to a 130-117 victory.
Tip-off for tonight’s game is slated for 7 pm.
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