Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham did not finish the game on Tuesday after he went down with a back injury against the Washington Wizards. Cunningham and the Pistons were coming off a 119-108 loss against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. The team has struggled to win in March and has lost five times during the month.
Luckily, the Pistons defeated one of the worst-performing teams in the East. Without their best player, others had to step up. First-time All-Star Jalen Duren posted a career-high 36 points on 76.5% shooting and secured 12 boards.
The big man was the only player who scored at least 20 points on the night.
JB Bickerstaff Has No Update on Cade Cunningham
The media was curious about Cunningham's injury and asked head coach JB Bickerstaff about an update on the star. However, Bickerstaff had no clue about the severity of the setback. He also didn't give an update on when the star guard will return to the lineup.
"Not yet, I don't have enough information," the coach said.
No update on Cade from JB. He liked their defensive effort in the second half and had praise for Daniss Jenkins pic.twitter.com/wWkDYBmo4d
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) March 18, 2026
The 6-foot-6 guard left the game in the second quarter. He was defending Wizards guard Bub Carrington and went after the steal. However, Carrington's legs hit Cunningham's back, and he was visibly in pain following the play. Shortly after, the NBA star had to exit the game and was eventually ruled out for the rest of the contest.
Cade Cunningham won't return tonight due to back spasms. This is the play that took him out pic.twitter.com/Mj5ZHcWL7G
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) March 17, 2026
Cunningham finished the game with six points and two rebounds. The two-time All-Star has been the engine of the young Pistons team. Through 60 games, he leads the team in scoring with 24.9 points a game on 46.1% shooting. He's also the leader in assists per game, averaging 10.1. This season, he has remained healthy and available for Detroit, only missing seven games.
His presence has helped the Pistons reach the top of the Eastern Conference. They have had a promising campaign and will have a homecourt advantage in the postseason.
With Cunningham's latest injury, Duren took it upon himself to step up. However, he credited other guys who did their part.
"It's a team effort, next man up," Duren said. "We got some great minutes from Daniss, got some great minutes out of Sass… as a team, we got to step up… With him being out, it's just leaning on everybody else."
The Pistons will host the Wizards again on Thursday, a chance for the team to capture its 50th win of the season. The team is close to its first 50-win season since the 2007-08 campaign.
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