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Cade Cunningham’s Concerning Status vs Cavaliers Revealed

Cade Cunningham will continue to miss more action against the Cavaliers.
Mar 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) looks down after the Dallas Mavericks make a basket during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Mar 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) looks down after the Dallas Mavericks make a basket during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

There won’t be any reinforcements for the Detroit Pistons on Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The one-time NBA All-Star, Cade Cunningham, is slated to miss another matchup.

According to the official NBA injury report, Cunningham has been ruled out with a left calf contusion. He’s been having issues with his calf since the Dallas Mavericks matchup last week.

Cunningham finished the 123-117 loss with a 38-minute shift. The Pistons guard produced 35 points on 50 percent shooting from the field while dishing out six assists and coming down with seven rebounds.

Heading into the matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, Cunningham was shockingly downgraded just moments before the Pistons and the Pelicans tipped off. While Cunningham ending up in a late-scratch situation isn’t foreign, the fact that he didn’t play in the following game was slightly more concerning.

The Pistons took care of business without Cunningham against the Pelicans. When Detroit hosted the San Antonio Spurs, the Cunningham-less Pistons collected a 122-96 win. The road gets tougher on Friday night as the Pistons take on the top-seeded Cavaliers. Unfortunately, without Cunningham, the matchup won’t serve as a barometer battle ahead of the playoffs.

After a Milwaukee Bucks loss on Wednesday, the Pistons slid into the fifth seed with a half-game lead. They’ll look to try and build on a two-game winning streak against the 58-14 Cavs, who have also won their previous two games.

Cunningham will miss his third game in a row. It’s unclear when the Pistons plan to get the star guard back in the mix. Their next matchup is scheduled for Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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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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