Cade Cunningham makes NBA history with 52 points and zero turnovers as Pistons outlast Wizards 144-140 in double OT
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham erupted for a career-high 52 points, 11 assists, and zero turnovers—a stat line never previously recorded in NBA history—to outduel Trae Young and Anthony Davis in a 144-140 double-overtime road thriller in Washington.
WASHINGTON — Twice on Thursday night, buzzer-beating shots from the Washington Wizards robbed the Detroit Pistons of a road victory and forced Cade Cunningham to stay on the floor for another five minutes. All those extra possessions accomplished was handing the 25-year-old guard a place in NBA history.
Cunningham poured in a career-high 52 points alongside 11 assists, five rebounds, and zero turnovers as Detroit outlasted Washington 144-140 in a breathless double-overtime duel at Capital One Arena. According to OptaSTATS, Cunningham is the first player in league history to record at least 50 points and 10 assists without committing a turnover since the NBA began tracking individual giveaways in the 1977-78 season.
Thirty points after halftime and three clutch answers
Across a back-and-forth contest featuring 20 lead changes, Cunningham saved his sharpest shot-making for crunch time, scoring 30 of his 52 points across the fourth quarter and the two overtime sessions. He finished 16 of 25 from the floor, 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and 17 of 18 at the free-throw line, matching Hall of Famer George Yardley for the fourth-highest single-game scoring mark in Pistons history behind only Jerry Stackhouse (57), Kelly Tripucka (56), and Dave Bing (54).
Detroit appeared to have regulation locked up when Cunningham calmly sank two foul shots with less than two seconds left for a 121-118 cushion, only for Wizards guard Trae Young to drill a contested 3-pointer at the horn. When Washington surged ahead 128-121 in the first extra period, Cunningham rattled off four straight points, buried a game-tying triple with 33 seconds left, and fed Duncan Robinson for a go-ahead jumper with nine seconds on the clock—before No. 1 overall rookie pick AJ Dybantsa answered with a pull-up jumper with 0.1 seconds remaining to force a second overtime.
Refusing to wilt, Cunningham opened the second overtime with a 3-pointer that fouled out Anthony Davis, then stuck a cold-blooded fadeaway jumper with 25.3 seconds left to stretch Detroit’s lead to 142-138 and finally put the game out of reach.
Praise from teammates and rivals alike
Cunningham received vital two-way backing from wing Ausar Thompson, who logged his first career triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals, and three blocks, while guard Daniss Jenkins added 21 points before fouling out.
Washington dropped its sixth straight game despite becoming one of the rare teams in NBA annals to get 30-point nights from three different starters: Young finished with 37 points and 14 assists, Davis posted 30 points and 15 rebounds, and center Alex Sarr added 30 points on 12-of-14 shooting. Afterward, Davis tipped his cap to Cunningham, calling the Detroit guard a true franchise leader, while Cunningham said two overtimes simply came down to which locker room had more left in the tank.
The victory lifts Detroit to 8-3 heading into upcoming road stops against Miami, San Antonio, and New Orleans—capping a dramatic night of East Coast finishes alongside Washington’s stunning 24-21 Thursday Night Football comeback over the Giants and major NBA injury news out West following Stephen Curry’s two-week oblique tear diagnosis.