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Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham Tossed From OKC Thunder Matchup

Cade Cunningham picked up two techs against the OKC Thunder.
Justin Grasso|
Mar 15, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles on Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (34) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Mar 15, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles on Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (34) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsOklahoma City Thunder

The Detroit Pistons lost their star player, Cade Cunningham, during Saturday night’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

As Cunningham argued with officials, he landed multiple technical fouls, leading to his early departure. At the time of the matchup, the Pistons were trailing and looking to climb back against a thriving OKC team. Unfortunately, Cunningham could not continue to be a part of the action.

As expected, the crowd at Little Caesars Arena was frustrated and let the officials know it was a high-stakes matchup that lost an All-Star player.

When Cunningham left the game on Saturday, he had played in 29 minutes of action. The veteran shot 5-18 from the field, scoring 11 points. Cunningham was one assist shy of a double-double and just a few rebounds away from notching a potential triple-double.

Heading into the game, the Pistons held a 37-30 record, which placed them sixth in the Eastern Conference. They found success in six of their last 10 games.

As the Pistons anticipate making the playoffs this season, a matchup at home against OKC was a great test, considering the Thunder are the top team in the Western Conference by a wide margin. Heading into the night, the Thunder had a 54-12 record. The Denver Nuggets placed behind them by 11.5 games.

Although Cunningham’s absence was clearly a tough blow for the Pistons during the second half, Detroit managed to get the game within single digits and is keeping pace with OKC while missing their top player.

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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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