On Saturday night, Detroit Pistons star point guard Cade Cunningham had a special opportunity to entertain fans on an international level with a packed CDMX Arena in Mexico City as his squad took on the Dallas Mavericks. And as any true protagonist does, Cunningham delivered in crunch time, and he diced up the Mavs to the tune of 18 assists in the 12-point Detroit win.

“It's been amazing,” Cunningham said after the game. “It's been one of probably the coolest basketball experiences I've ever had, being able to travel here. I probably never would have come here if it wasn't for basketball. So, I'm thankful, and I appreciate the fans for coming out.”

Cunningham treated fans to a slam dunk spectacular from the start as Detroit’s All-Star guard lobbed a series of passes near the hoop towards Jalen Duren, and the Pistons center responded with several emphatic alley-oop slam dunks.

“He's such a beast,” Cunningham said. “He makes me look good. You know, he makes my job easy. I always say running the break with JD or Ausar Thompson is the easiest job in the world. So, all glory to God for allowing us to be here and compete on the highest stage like this. But I’m thankful for my teammates for sure.”

Mexico City Hoops: Duren Scores 33, Cade Drops 21 With 18 Assists In Pistons Win Both Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren had outstanding games against the Mavericks in Mexico City on Saturday night.

As a 6-6 point guard, Cunningham creates some mismatches for opposing defenses with his size, strength, ball handling and vision, and teams have responded by countering his unique skill set with size or multiple bodies. Against the Mavs, Cunningham was faced with double teams and extra defenders helping out, but that worked into the third-team All-Pro’s favor as Cade was able to lure defenders out of position before finding his teammates for easier buckets. 

“I welcome defenses bringing extra bodies for me because it opens up the game for my teammates, and they make plays out of it,” Cunningham said. “So, I think it's a good offense for us, and I'm gonna continue to try to start my game for them.”

With 21 points and 18 assists to his name in the international victory, Cunningham tied his career-high in helpers while also logging six rebounds and three steals with only one turnover on the night. That means in Cunningham’s last two games, the dynamic guard has posted 51 points, 28 assists, 12 rebounds, six steals and only one turnover. That’s simply an absurd stat line from one of the NBA’s most effective floor generals. 

Cunningham will have another opportunity to lead the Pistons against the Memphis Grizzlies on the road on Monday, Nov. 3 at 8 pm. 

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