On Wednesday night, the Detroit Pistons found themselves flexed on national television for their matchup with the Miami Heat. Cade Cunningham made the most of the expanded audience, continuing to prove he is one of the NBA's top rising young stars.
Cunningham did it all for the Pistons in their 116-113 win over the Heat, posting his ninth triple-double of the season. The former No. 1 pick led his team in scoring with 25 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 11 assists. However, the biggest takeaway from his performance came in the game's final seconds.
As time was about to expire in regulation, Cunningham found himself guarded by Bam Adebayo with the score all evened up at 13. He managed to get a three-point shot off over the All-Star big man, which banked in with less than a second to go. This shot was a dagger to the Heat, as they ended up losing at the hands of the Pistons' star guard.
Following his late-game heroics, Cunningham had the whole basketball world buzzing on social media. Among those to chime in was NFL star Maxx Crosby, who gave a big shout-out to the young guard on X (formerly Twitter).
Cunningham has led the charge for the Pistons all season and continues to do so in these finals weeks. The rising star needs all the positive momentum he can get as he prepares for his debut under the bright lights of the postseason.
This year, Cunningham has proven time and time again he is ready to take the reigns as being "the guy" for the Pistons on a nightly basis. Outings like Wednesday are just another example of the massive leap he's made in his development in just his fourth year in the league.
