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Cade Cunningham Makes NBA History in Pistons-Hawks Matchup

Cade Cunningham had a historic outing against the Hawks.
Justin Grasso|
Feb 3, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles in the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Feb 3, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles in the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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The 2024-2025 NBA season has been full of dominant performances put together by Detroit Pistons guard, Cade Cunningham. Sunday’s action against the Atlanta Hawks was another opportunity for Cunningham to reach a key milestone in his career.

A red-hot first-half put Cunningham in a position to notch another double-double on the year. In his first 19 minutes on the court, Cunningham shot 11-16 from the field, drilling six of his eight threes. The Pistons guard had 29 points and 10 assists through the first half, as the Pistons led 76-68.

After putting up 29 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists, with the six threes made, Cunningham joined Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic in being the only two players with those number in a half over the last 10 years. Only three such performances have been seen since the late 90s.

By the end of the night, Cunningham made history.

via @Pistons_PR: Cunningham is the first player in NBA history to record at least 38 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, three blocks and seven 3-pointers in a game.

Seven three-pointers was Cunningham’s career-best. It was just the third time in Cunningham’s career that he made at least six shots from beyond the arc.

Leading up to Sunday’s matchup, Cunningham has been posting averages of 25 points on 46 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from three, along with 10 assists and six rebounds.

Sunday’s victory marked the sixth win in a row for the Pistons. They are now 31-26 on the year, improving their status as the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed. The Pistons are now just 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks. The Orlando Magic are the closest team behind the Pistons, trailing by three games.

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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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