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WASHINGTON — Cade Cunningham scored a career-high 52 points with 11 assists and no turnovers, and Ausar Thompson recorded the first triple-double of his career Thursday night as the Detroit Pistons beat the Washington Wizards 144-140 in double overtime at Capital One Arena.
Thompson finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, along with 3 steals and 3 blocks. Two of those assists set up Cunningham’s overtime 3-pointers, and all 3 steals came in the third quarter, when each one led to a Detroit basket as the Pistons built an 11-point lead.
In a postgame interview posted by the Pistons, Thompson said the triple-double did not change how confident he feels, and he expects there could be more of them.
His brother “can’t say I don’t have any triple-doubles anymore,” Thompson said.
Cunningham shot 16-of-25 from the field and 17-of-18 at the line in 47 minutes, 59 seconds. He had 40 points at the end of regulation, and his tying 3-pointer late in the first overtime gave him 47, one more than his previous career high. Detroit improved to 8-3, and Washington fell to 4-9.
Trae Young And AJ Dybantsa Forced Two Overtimes
Washington had three 30-point scorers. Trae Young finished with 37 points and 14 assists and made all 17 of his free throws. Anthony Davis had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and Alex Sarr scored 30, with the two combining to shoot 25-of-35 as Washington outscored Detroit 62-52 in the paint.
Young scored 16 points in the fourth quarter as Washington erased Detroit’s lead. Cunningham went 4-for-4 at the line in the final 26 seconds and blocked Young’s pull-up in between, putting the Pistons up 121-118, but Young tied it on a 3-pointer off a Kyshawn George pass with 1.1 seconds left.
Young did not score in the first overtime, but he assisted on 3 of Washington’s 5 baskets. The last was a pull-up by AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, that tied it at 132 with 2.8 seconds left, moments after Duncan Robinson put Detroit ahead on a running shot.
Cade Cunningham Closed It With A Fadeaway
Cunningham opened the second overtime with a 3-pointer, and Davis fouled out 16 seconds later, joining George, who had fouled out in the first extra period. After a Bilal Coulibaly dunk cut Detroit’s lead to 140-138, Cunningham hit a fadeaway with 25.3 seconds left. Young made a pair of free throws when Daniss Jenkins fouled out, and Kevin Huerter answered with a pair of his own.
Cunningham played all 10 overtime minutes. Washington went 2-of-12 from the field in the second extra period, and Young missed all 5 of his shots. In the same interview, Cunningham said that after two overtimes, he would bet on his team any day.
“It was just gonna come down to who wanted more, who had more in the tank,” Cunningham said.
Jenkins scored all 21 of his points in the first three quarters, one fewer than Cunningham had over that stretch. With center Jalen Duren inactive because of a right hamstring strain, Paul Reed played nearly 38 minutes off the bench, grabbed 11 rebounds, and finished a game-high plus-25.
The Pistons visit the Miami Heat at 7 p.m. CT Saturday. The Wizards host the Houston Rockets at 6 p.m. CT Sunday.
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