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Cade Cunningham Highlight Goes Viral After Pistons' Preseason Debut

Cade Cunningham dazzled in his first preseason game of the year.
Justin Grasso|
Apr 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts during the third quarter of game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Apr 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts during the third quarter of game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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Detroit Pistons

Cade Cunningham picked up right where he left off in Monday night’s Detroit Pistons preseason opener.

The Pistons paid a visit to the Memphis Grizzlies, and Cunningham put together a flashy sequence as he led the Pistons to a victory at the start of the new season.

via @NBA: The mid-air hand-switch and reverse... Light work for Cade Cunningham. He's up to 20 PTS in his 1st preseason action of 2025!

The Pistons’ superstar checked in for nearly 20 minutes on Monday night. He scored with efficiency, draining eight of his 11 shots from the field. Cunningham knocked down all but one of his three shots from beyond the arc.

By the end of his shift, Cunningham wrapped up the game with 20 points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He turned the ball over just once.

The Pistons took down the Memphis Grizzlies with a 128-112 win to move to 1-0 in the preseason. The matchup was a quick preview to a regular-season series, which begins on November 3 for the Pistons against the Grizzlies. They’ll meet for a second and final time on March 13.

Cade Cunningham Starts Off on the Right Foot

The young star is coming off the best run of his career. During his fourth year with the Pistons, he appeared in 70 games, averaging 35 minutes of action.

Having much better luck in the health department, Cunningham produced 26.1 points per game, while making 47 percent of his shots from the field. He attempted six threes per game, hitting on 36 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Along with his scoring, Cunningham averaged 6.1 rebounds, 9.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. He squeezed into the MVP race with the seventh-most votes, as he completed an All-NBA journey and made his first NBA All-Star appearance.

Cunningham is heading into year five, with hopes of keeping the Pistons in playoff contention. Last season, Detroit finished as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. During a six-game series against the New York Knicks, Cunningham posted averages of 25 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists.

So far, the Pistons are off to a promising start. While the preseason doesn't count for anything once it concludes later this month, the Pistons can feel good about their top star looking sharp in his first set of action since the spring. The Pistons will return to the court on Thursday to take on the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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