Detroit Pistons vibes could not be higher right now, with Cade Cunningham making history on Monday night to lift his team to a 137-135 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards and extend their winning streak to seven games.
Cunningham made good history as the first NBA player ever to have at least 45 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals in a game. Michael Jordan is the only other player to have a game with at least 40-10-10-5.
The only negative from Cunningham’s night is he wasn’t efficient scoring the ball, shooting 14-of-45 from the field and becoming the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2002 to miss at least 30 shots in a game.
The 45 field-goal attempts by Cunningham can be explained away because the Pistons were playing even more short-handed than usual on Monday night. Tobias Harris hasn’t played since Nov. 1 due to an ankle injury. Ausar Thompson, Caris LaVert and Isaiah Stewart were also out on the second night of a back-to-back.
After falling behind by nine points in the third quarter, Cunningham engineered a furious comeback in the fourth with the Pistons scoring 40 points to force overtime. He accounted for 26 of those with 15 points and four assists, including one that set up Daniss Jenkins’ game-tying three with one second remaining in regulation.
Jordan’s historic game came on Jan. 3, 1989, when he put up 41 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and six steals in the Chicago Bulls’ 126-121 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
That season marked the first time the Bulls and Pistons met in the Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit prevailed in that series in six games en route to winning the franchise’s first NBA championship.
It’s still early in the 2025-26 campaign, but Cunningham has the Pistons looking like a team capable of competing for a title this season. They have the best record in the East at 9-2, led by a defense that ranks fourth in rating.
Detroit’s offense is only 15th in rating through 11 games, but that unit is certain to get better later in the season because Jaden Ivey has yet to play due to offseason knee surgery.
Cunningham is playing at an MVP level right now, averaging 27.5 points and 9.9 assists in 11 starts.
