WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards kept making last-second shots, forcing Cade Cunningham to play an extra 10 minutes in a double-overtime thriller.
All that did was turn a great night into a historic one for the Detroit star as the Pistons secured a “144-140 win”, according to the Associated Press.
Cunningham scored 52 points and had 11 assists, becoming the first player since at least 1978 with at least 50 points and 10 assists in a game with no turnovers.
In a game that was tight pretty much throughout, Cunningham kept mistakes to a minimum while still being incredibly productive.
Cunningham said of his historic performance, “It was the best I’ve ever done it in my NBA career for sure.”
Cunningham had only 22 points after three quarters before scoring 18 in the fourth.
That still wasn’t enough because Trae Young hit “a 3-pointer at the buzzer” to tie the game at 121, per social media reports.
Then Washington scored the first seven points of overtime, but there was still plenty of time for Cunningham.
A jumper, two free throws and a 3-pointer later, he had tied the game at 130.
Duncan Robinson put the Pistons ahead with a jumper, but AJ Dybantsa tied it with less than a second left for Washington.
There were four players in this game who were picked No. 1 overall in the draft.
Anthony Davis had 30 points and 15 rebounds for the Wizards before fouling out in the second overtime.
Young scored 37 points and Alex Sarr added 30 for Washington.
The Wizards had not had three 30-point scorers in a game since Nov. 18, 1969.
Cunningham equaled the fourth-highest scoring total in franchise history for the Pistons.
No other Detroit player scored more points than Daniss Jenkins’ 21.
Down the stretch, Cunningham took over, even overshadowing teammate Ausar Thompson’s first career triple-double.
Thompson had 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds during the contest.
Thompson said of his star teammate, “He led us through the fourth quarter and overtimes.”
Thompson also noted, “One person can’t just guard him.”