Some games drag on. Friday’s NBA slate gave us one that dragged on in the best way, plus a blowout and a gutsy road win from a team without its legend. Let’s get into it, starting with the man of the night, Cade Cunningham.
Cade Cunningham Scores 52 With Zero Turnovers
How many points did Cade Cunningham score again?
Cade Cunningham scored 52 points to go with 11 assists as the Detroit Pistons beat the Washington Wizards, 144-140, in double overtime on Friday.
It was a historic performance. With that showcase, Cade Cunningham became the first player since at least 1978 to record at least 50 points and 10 assists in a game without a turnover. “It was the best I’ve ever done it in my NBA career for sure,” he said afterward.
The Wizards kept forcing extra time, and Cunningham kept answering. He had just 22 points after three quarters, then scored 18 in the fourth. Trae Young’s buzzer-beating three tied the game at 121, and Washington scored the first seven points of overtime. Cade Cunningham responded with a jumper, two free throws, and a three to tie it at 130. After Duncan Robinson put Detroit ahead, rookie AJ Dybantsa, the top pick in this year’s draft, tied it again with less than a second left.
In the second overtime, Cunningham hit a three to make it 135-132, and Anthony Davis, who had 30 points and 15 rebounds, fouled out. It was quite the star-studded game, with four No. 1 overall picks on the floor: Dybantsa, Davis, Deandre Ayton, and Cunningham.
Wolves Rout Mavs for NBA’s Most Lopsided Win of the Season
The Minnesota Timberwolves did not need overtime. They beat the Dallas Mavericks, 133-94, for their biggest win of the season and their fifth straight victory.
LaMelo Ball made six three-pointers and finished with 22 points and a season-high nine assists, while Bones Hyland led all scorers with 24 off the bench. Ayo Dosunmu added 18, Jaden McDaniels had 16, and Jonathan Kuminga chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds.
Minnesota shot 61% in the first half and led by 15 at the break, then outscored Dallas, 36-17, in the third quarter to open a 103-69 lead. Their 44-point lead in the fourth quarter was their biggest of the season, and it was their seventh straight win over the Mavericks. Dallas, which had its three-game winning streak snapped, shot just 37%. Cooper Flagg, fresh off his own milestone 43-point game, was held to 12, and Kyrie Irving had 10. Zaccharie Risacher led Dallas with 22 off the bench.
Sixers Beat Raptors Without LeBron James
The Philadelphia 76ers did not need LeBron James, who was ruled out with a back issue and missed his third game of the season. Tyrese Maxey scored 27, Joel Embiid had 20, and Jaylen Brown added 18 in a 123-112 win over the Toronto Raptors that improved the Sixers to 10-3.
It was a nice bounce-back after a 123-101 loss to Jayson Tatum and the Celtics on Wednesday, Brown’s first game against his former team. There was a scare in the first quarter when Embiid crumpled after colliding with Immanuel Quickley and clutched his right knee. He returned later in the period to loud cheers.
Toronto led by as many as 16 in the first half despite missing Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes, but Philadelphia took control late in the third and led, 96-87, going into the fourth. The Raptors cut it to six on a Jamison Battle three-pointer, but the Sixers scored 10 of the next 13 points, capped by a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope three. RJ Barrett led Toronto with 31, and Quickley had 25. The Raptors were on the second night of a back-to-back and have lost four of five.
