Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham continued his push for his first All-Star Recreation nod on Monday in Detroit’s 118-115 win over the Portland Path Blazers.
The No. 1 general decide of the 2021 NBA Draft had 32 factors on 11-of-23 taking pictures, together with 4-of-10 from deep, 9 assists, six rebounds and two steals because the Pistons (18-18, seventh in Japanese Convention) reached .500 in January for the primary time since 2018. (h/t StatMuse)
Cunningham had threes from the identical spot on the courtroom on consecutive third-quarter possessions to show a 76-72 deficit right into a 78-78 tie.
Late within the fourth of a tied sport, 106-106, Cunningham discovered small ahead Tim Hardaway Jr. on a quick break for 3.
With below a minute remaining, he drew Path Blazers heart Deandre Ayton on to him following a drive to the basket, and whereas his shot bounced off the rim, Pistons heart Jalen Duren cleaned up the miss with a slam dunk for a four-point lead, 116-112.
In 32 video games this season, Cunningham is averaging a career-high 24.4 factors, 9.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds per sport.
Per Stathead, he is one in every of two gamers to common a minimum of 24 factors, 9 assists and 6 rebounds per sport. The opposite is three-time MVP and Western Conference-leading All-Star Game fan vote-getter Nikola Jokic.
The NBA launched the primary replace to the ASG fan vote on Jan. 2, and Cunningham ranked sixth amongst guards, receiving 247,046 votes.
Per NBA Communications, “Followers account for 50% of the vote to determine All-Star starters,” with NBA gamers and media members splitting the opposite 50 p.c.
It would take Cunningham’s friends to get him into his first All-Star Recreation, scheduled for Feb. 16 on the Chase Heart. No matter how Cunningham will get there, his first half of the 2024-25 season cannot go unnoticed.
