Cade Cunningham's Absence for Pelicans-Pistons Explained

What was Cade Cunningham dealing with ahead of the Detroit Pistons' win over the New Orleans Pelicans?

Mar 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) runs back up the court against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Heading into Sunday’s matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the New Orleans Pelicans, Cade Cunningham was not present on the injury report. It seemed like the All-Star guard was gearing up for his 67th game of the year.

In a shocking turn of events, the Pisons ruled out Cunningham shortly before the game tipped off. He was deemed a late scratch.

On the official NBA injury report, Cunningham was listed as out due to bilateral calf soreness. It’s unclear how much time Cunningham will miss moving forward, if any.

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During the Pistons’ three-game road trip, Cunningham averaged 35 minutes of action. There was no indication the veteran guard was dealing with any setbacks during any of those games.

Over that three-game stretch, Cunningham posted averages of 28 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. When the Pistons faced the Pelicans prior to Sunday’s action, the star guard shot 10-16 from the field to score 24 points. He nearly posted a double-double with eight assists. The Pistons dominated the Pelicans 127-81.

Although Detroit didn’t have Cunningham this time around, they still managed to take care of business. Perhaps their confidence in their chances of winning against a shorthanded Pelicans team without Cunningham allowed Detroit to be cautious with the star guard.

Mar 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts to being knocked to the floor during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Without Cunningham, the Pistons defeated the Pelicans 136-130. Detroit moves to 40-32 on the season. Next up, the Pistons will host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Cunningham’s status for that game is not known.

In 66 games this season, Cunningham has put up 26 points per game while coming down with six rebounds and dishing out nine assists.