Through 12 games, Pistons star guard Cade Cunningham is positioning himself in the MVP race thanks to his stellar two-way play amid Detroit’s eight-game winning streak. Right now, the Pistons are in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 2.5 game lead over the New York Knicks in second position, and Cunningham is the catalyst behind such a quick climb up the East’s ladder.

Earlier today, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff appeared on 97.1 The Ticket with Jim Costa and Jon Jansen to discuss the early success that Detroit is experiencing this season. Bickerstaff wasted little time in highlighting Cunningham’s ability to take over for stretches in the fourth quarter, and the Pistons head coach said Cade’s grown to understand when to pick his spots and attack the bucket when the time is right. 

“That’s what the superstars do– they understand the moment,” Bickerstaff said. “It might not always be the fourth quarter. It might be a run in the first quarter where he sees a moment where you can kind of stick a fork in a team early, and he’ll go out and do that. So, I think his understanding of when the winning moments come has taken a big step this year.”

So far, Cunningham leads the NBA in fourth quarter scoring, and the fifth-year All-Star guard has posted consecutive 19-point final frames during the Pistons’ eight-game winning streak. When the game is on the line, the Pistons count on Cunningham to make the right play, and he’s delivered in that moment countless times already this season.

Now, Cunningham missed Detroit’s most recent win over the Bulls on Wednesday due to a hip contusion, and the third-team All-Pro is still dealing with the injury heading into tonight’s NBA Cup game. Cunningham is listed as questionable on the injury report, and his availability will become more clear when Detroit goes through shoot-around before the game. 

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Cunningham has been a more recent addition to a quickly-growing list of injured Pistons contributors. Two nights ago, Detroit was without Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser and Isaiah Stewart for the team’s 11-point win, so the Pistons had to dig deep on the bench to pull out the win at home. 

If Cunningham is able to suit up, expect the Pistons guard to deliver another strong performance as he’s averaging 27.5 points and 9.9 assists per game this season.

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Tip-off between the Pistons and the 76ers is slated for 7:30 pm tonight. 

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