Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons wrapped up a 124-116 win over an Oklahoma City Thunder squad missing reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday night.
Cunningham finished with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, connecting on three of his five attempts from behind the arc. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished out 13 assists despite committing eight turnovers.
The 24-year-old made his presence felt defensively as well, picking up three steals and three blocks.
While it’s worth noting that Gilgeous-Alexander missed his ninth straight game due to an abdominal strain, fans still called for Cunningham to earn more MVP consideration following the win over the No. 1 team in the Western Conference standings.
The Thunder led 34-22 through the first quarter of Wednesday’s contest, although the Pistons responded by outscoring Oklahoma City 36-18 in the second to take a six-point edge at halftime.
While the Thunder cut the deficit to two points with just over nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, Detroit quickly went on a 12-0 run to gain some more breathing room.
The Pistons led by as many as 17 points in the third, but Oklahoma City stormed back to cut the deficit to four points with one minute left in the game.
The Thunder ultimately couldn’t close the gap, as a jumper from Cunningham and a dunk from Detroit center Jalen Duren sealed the final result.
Cunningham’s efficient shooting performance was particularly impressive considering Oklahoma City ranks No. 1 in the league with a 106.1 defensive rating (via NBA.com).
While Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić are both strong candidates to win MVP, they could become ineligible for the honor if they’re unable to meet the NBA’s 65-game requirement for award consideration.
As for Cunningham, he already entered Wednesday’s action averaging 25.3 points, 9.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on 45.5/33.4/81.0 shooting splits.
