Former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham scored 46 points on a staggering 45 shots in the Detroit Pistons’ 137-135 overtime win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.
Cade Cunningham Had One Of The Best Worst Games
Cunningham also finished with 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and 5 steals, helping the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons pick up their seventh straight victory on just 14-for-45 (31.1%) shooting from the floor.
It the most field goal attempts in the NBA this season. Cunningham’s 31 missed shots are also the most by a player in a game since the 1976-77 merger, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information.
Cade Cunningham recorded his first triple-double of the season, including a career-high 46 PTS with 11 AST, 12 REB, five STL and two BLK, becoming the first player in NBA history with those numbers in a single game since the NBA began tracking steals and blocks in 1973-74. pic.twitter.com/WHJkyjzpZ3
— Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) November 11, 2025
The last player to miss that many shots was Rick Barry on Feb. 5, 1967, when he went 17-of-50 (34%) from the field with the San Francisco Warriors in a 142-141 overtime win against the Chicago Bulls.
Per Basketball Reference, out of the 1,534 instances of a 45-point game in NBA history, Cunningham had the second-worst field goal percentage (31.1%), behind only James Harden (20.7%) in 2019.
Cunningham Joined Isiah Thomas For Pistons Record
In addition to Detroit coming away with the win, Cunningham became just the second Pistons player with a 40-point triple-double, joining Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas.
It was Cunningham’s 12th triple-double of his NBA career.
Through 11 games this season, Cunningham is averaging career highs of 27.5 points, 9.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 37 minutes per outing with a shooting line of 43.6/28.8/80.2.
As for the rest of the team on Monday night, it was a memorable outing for Daniss Jenkins, who scored a season-high 24 points and made the tying 3-pointer to force overtime.
Jalen Duren also added 19 points and 14 rebounds. Duncan Robinson, who finished with 13 points, drilled a 3-pointer with 1:04 left in overtime to give Detroit the lead for good at 134-133.
Detroit Claimed Isaac Jones Off Waivers
The Pistons (9-2) are off to a surprising start to open their 2025-26 season, and their frontcourt recently received an extra boost. Detroit claimed second-year forward Isaac Jones off the waiver wire last week.
The Sacramento Kings released Jones in order for them to create roster space to sign center Precious Achiuwa to a one-year, veteran minimum deal.
Jones, a former Washington State star, went undrafted in 2024 and signed a two-way contract with the Kings. He appeared in 40 games off the bench last season, averaging 3.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 7.6 minutes per contest.
The 6-foot-8 wing had his two-way deal converted to a standard contract in March.
In Sacramento’s 133-104 home loss to the Knicks on March 10, he recorded career highs of 12 points and five rebounds to go with a pair of assists and one steal in 18 minutes of action.
Earlier in his rookie season, Jones also matched his career high in scoring versus the San Antonio Spurs (Dec. 1) and Houston Rockets (Dec. 3).
The Pistons host Chicago on Wednesday in the second game of a four-game homestand.
