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Cade Cunningham's Showing vs Magic Moves Him up NBA Leaderboard

Cade Cunningham had a strong bounce-back effort against the Magic.
Justin Grasso|
Jan 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) takes the ball up court against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Jan 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) takes the ball up court against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

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Cade Cunningham entered Wednesday night’s game between the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic off to a tough start to the year.

By the end of the night, he climbed the leaderboard of an impressive stat list, which includes a double-double, without any turnovers. It was quite the turnaround for Cunningham, who struggled with turnovers throughout the first few games of the year.

via @realapp: Cade Cunningham now has the 6th most games in NBA HISTORY with: 30+ PTS, 10+ AST, 0 TOV

On Wednesday, the Pistons were coming off of a tough loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cunningham struggled with his shot, making just three of his 14 attempts from the field. He went 1-7 from deep, finishing the game with 12 points.

Beyond the scoring, Cunningham dished out four assists and came down with five rebounds. Unfortunately, he turned the ball over five times. The Pistons came up short with a 116-95 loss.

Detroit’s battle against Orlando was a different story. Cunningham checked in for 35 minutes. He shot 12-24 from the field. While the three-point shot was once again off for Cunningham, he still managed to score 30 points on the night.

Cunningham racked up a double-double by producing 10 assists. He also came down with six rebounds, five of which came on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, Cunningham stood out with three steals and three blocks.

With Wednesday’s win, the Pistons advanced to 3-2 on the year. It hasn’t been the most inspiring start for Detroit, but last year’s run proved that a lot can change throughout the course of the season—slow start or not.

Cade Cunningha
Oct 29, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots on Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

This year, Cunningham is working on his second All-Star campaign. After putting together the best run of his career, Cunningham has been slow in following up so far. This season, he is shooting 39 percent from the field, producing 22.2 points per game. He is dishing out 8.2 assists per game and coming down with 5.6 rebounds.

After Wednesday’s win, the Pistons will get a couple of days off before taking on the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night in Detroit.

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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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