All Pistons

Pistons vs. Celtics: Is Cade Cunningham Playing on Monday?

What's Cade Cunningham's playing status against the Celtics?
Pistons vs. Celtics: Is Cade Cunningham Playing on Monday?
Pistons vs. Celtics: Is Cade Cunningham Playing on Monday?

UPDATE: Cade Cunningham has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Celtics. 

Monday night issues the Detroit Pistons an opportunity close out a back-to-back set. After dropping two games against the Miami Heat last week, the Pistons are set to pay a visit to the Boston Celtics to begin this week’s slate.

Lately, the Pistons have kept a close eye on the availability of their standout guard, Cade Cunningham. As the veteran is looking to avoid any long-term setbacks related to his knee, the Pistons have considered the possibility of sitting him in recent games.

Before facing the Heat last Friday, Cunningham was downgraded to questionable on the injury report. He was coming off of a 27-minute shift against the Toronto Raptors. In the game, Cunningham drained eight of his 20 shots to score 19 points in the nine-point win over the Raptors.

Although his status was in question initially, Cunningham received the green light to take on the Miami Heat for the first of two matchups. 

The young star acquired 31 minutes of playing time. He struggled from the field as he hit on just 33 percent of his shots for 11 points. Despite struggling with his shot, Cunningham made up for it by dishing out nine assists. Unfortunately, the Pistons couldn’t keep their winning trend rolling, as they lost by 13 to Miami.

Detroit didn’t have the same worries about Cunningham heading into Sunday’s rematch against Miami. While Cunningham remained on the injury report, he was probable to play. As expected, he received the nod to play.

Once again, the Pistons couldn’t overcome the Heat. Although the visitors were shorthanded and missing a handful of contributors, the Pistons fell short with a three-point loss. Cunningham wrapped up the game with 17 points on 8-19 shooting from the field. He struggled from three by missing all but one of his six shots. Despite the lack of efficiency from deep, Cunningham was one assist shy from a double-double.

The Pistons will resume against the Celtics on Monday night at 7:30 PM ET. As of now, Cade Cunningham is questionable for the matchup, leaving his availability unknown.


Published
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

Share on XFollow JGrasso_