Despite having no prior playoff experience, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has not been overwhelmed by the big stage. Similar to the regular season, he’s done everything he can to keep his team competitive on a nightly basis.
Coming off a big victory on the road in Game 2, the Pistons returned home in hopes of jumping out ahead in this series. Things would end up going down to the wire, with New York barely managing to escape with a 118-116 victory.
Cunningham dazzled in Game 2, and put together another impressive showing in front of the Detroit fanbase. With numerous guys around him having an off night, it fell on the All-Star guard to try and get his team across the finish line. Cunningham ended up filling the entire box score in the Game 3 nail-biter, finishing with 24 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and two blocks.
While it wasn’t enough to get the Pistons in the win column, Cunningham did etch his name alongside a pair of all-time greats. On Thursday, he became just the third active player to record such an all-around stat line in a playoff game. The others are LA Lakers star LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.
Cade in his first playoff game in Detroit:
24 PTS
7 REB
11 AST
4 STL
2 BLKJoins LeBron and Russ as the only active players to reach those numbers in a playoff game. pic.twitter.com/AzQewPp8vH
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 25, 2025
After putting together an impressive breakout campaign in the regular season, many awaited to see how Cunningham would handle the bright lights of the playoffs. He’s continued to perform at a high level, cementing himself as an emerging star in this league. Through the first three games of the series, Cunningham is averaging 26.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 8.7 APG.
Now down 2-1 in the series, the Pistons are going to need Cunningham’s strong play more than ever. They’ll take the floor at Little Caesars Arena again on Sunday afternoon with a chance to tie things up before heading back to Madison Square Garden.
