Cunningham scores 52 without a turnover as Detroit beat Washington in double overtime

Cade Cunningham scored a career-high 52 points, handed out 11 assists and did not commit a single turnover as Detroit beat Washington 144-140 in double overtime on Thursday 12 November. According to NBA.com, no player in league history had previously put up at least 50 points and 10 assists in a game without a turnover.

It was the first 50-point game of Cunningham's career, and it came on the road. His previous best was 46 points, scored just over a year earlier, also against Washington.

He got there efficiently. Cunningham shot 16-for-25 from the field and added five rebounds, a steal and a block.

A line nobody had produced

The scale of the night is clearest in the company it leaves behind. The NBA began officially tracking individual turnovers in the 1977-78 season, and before Thursday 12 November only Larry Bird and Alex English had managed at least 45 points, 10 assists and zero turnovers in a game, according to NBA.com.

Cunningham went past both. He is also the first Detroit Pistons player to record a game of 50 or more points and 10 or more assists, and MLive reported that his 52 points rank fourth in franchise history for a single game.

Most of the damage came late. The Athletic reported that 30 of his points arrived between the fourth quarter and overtime, in a game that twice refused to end.

Trae Young's three-pointer at the buzzer forced the first overtime, the Associated Press reported. Then rookie AJ Dybantsa's midrange shot with less than one second remaining sent it to a second.

Cunningham settled it from there. He made a three-pointer early in the second overtime, a period in which Anthony Davis fouled out, and then scored from the baseline to give Detroit a 142-138 lead with 25.3 seconds remaining.

J.B. Bickerstaff, quoted by MLive, did not hide his admiration. "The more and more you're around him, the more and more you respect him for who he is and what his abilities are," he said.

"To be able to do what he does in the moment when it's called on is unique and it's special," Bickerstaff added. "It never ceases to amaze."

Cunningham's was not the only personal landmark of the night. Ausar Thompson recorded the first triple-double of his career with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Washington's trio fall short

Washington lost a game in which three of their players reached 30 points. Young led them with 37 points and 14 assists, Davis had 30 points, 15 rebounds and four assists before fouling out, and Alex Sarr added 30 points and nine rebounds.

NBA.com noted that it was the franchise's first trio of 30-point scorers since Mike Davis, Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson did it for the Baltimore Bullets on 18 November 1969. That it still was not enough says plenty about what Cunningham produced at the other end.

Young had a milestone of his own. He became the eighth player in NBA history with 200 games of at least 20 points and 10 assists, reaching the mark in his 511th career game. Only Oscar Robertson, who needed 355 games, got there faster, according to NBA.com.

For Washington, the frustration is obvious. They found the shot they needed at the end of regulation, got to a second overtime, and had a historic scoring night from their three leading players, yet the final possessions belonged to Cunningham.

Miami and San Antonio next

Detroit have little time to recover from 58 minutes of basketball. The Pistons stay on the road and face the Miami Heat on Sunday 15 November at 01:00 UTC, before a trip to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday 18 November at 01:00 UTC.