Cade Cunningham delivered a performance for the history books on Thursday night, scoring 52 points with 11 assists and no turnovers as the Detroit Pistons outlasted the Washington Wizards 144-140 in double overtime at Capital One Arena. Cunningham became the first player in NBA history to record 50 points and 10 assists without a single turnover, a line no player had ever produced before.

The Pistons needed every bit of it. Washington twice forced overtime with clutch scores in the dying seconds before Detroit finally closed the door, outscoring the Wizards 12-8 in the second extra period.

Key Points

• Cade Cunningham scored 52 points with 11 assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers as Detroit beat Washington 144-140 in double overtime on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
• Cunningham became the first player in NBA history with 50 points and 10 assists in a game without a turnover.
• Ausar Thompson recorded a triple-double for Detroit with 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.
• Washington had three starters score at least 30 points each — Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr — but lost a sixth straight game.
• Detroit outscored Washington 12-8 in the second overtime after the Wizards twice forced extra time with late scores.

What Happened

The Pistons and Wizards played one of the wildest games of the young NBA season at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., a contest that needed two overtimes to settle. Detroit led, Washington answered, and just when the Pistons looked ready to close the game out, the Wizards found a way to extend it — not once, but twice, with clutch baskets in the dying seconds of regulation and then again in the first overtime.

Cunningham was at the centre of everything Detroit did. He shot 16-for-25 from the field, made three three-pointers and went 17-for-18 from the free-throw line, and his 11 assists came with the most remarkable number on the box score: zero turnovers in a 52-point, double-overtime game in which he handled the ball on almost every meaningful Detroit possession.

Washington kept pace because its starting unit fired on all cylinders. Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr each scored at least 30 points, a rare feat for three teammates in the same game. But the Wizards could not do it a third time: in the second overtime Detroit's defence finally stiffened and the Pistons escaped with the 144-140 win. Thompson gave Cunningham crucial support with 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.

Background and Context

Cunningham's night did not come out of nowhere. The Detroit guard, the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft and the franchise cornerstone the Pistons have built around, has been in superb form early this season. Just ten days earlier, on November 2, he scored a then season-high 33 points — 17 of them in the third quarter — as Detroit routed the Charlotte Hornets 124-91, sitting out the entire fourth quarter.

Thursday's 52 points smashed that mark. Fifty-point games are rare enough; to pair one with 11 assists is rarer still; to do both without a single turnover had simply never been done before. The great scoring guards in NBA history all turned the ball over on their biggest nights. Cunningham did not, and that is what lifts this performance from a great game into a historic one.

Cade Cunningham's 52 Points Make NBA History

The headline number is 52, but the number that makes this game historic is zero. No player in NBA history had ever finished a game with at least 50 points and at least 10 assists without turning the ball over once — not in regulation, and certainly not in a double-overtime game decided in the final minutes. Cunningham's line is now the standard against which every future great guard performance will be measured.

The efficiency was staggering. He scored from everywhere — driving to the rim, pulling up from mid-range, stepping back for threes — and when the Wizards sent extra defenders at him, he found teammates. To play 58 minutes, take 25 shots, make that many decisions and never once give the ball away is a feat of concentration as much as talent.

Reactions and Quotes

No post-game player or coach quotes were included in the wire reports checked for this story, so this section carries no direct quotations rather than invented ones. What the numbers say on their own is emphatic enough: a 52-point, 11-assist, zero-turnover game has no precedent in NBA history, and the basketball world took notice the moment the final buzzer sounded in Washington.

Why It Matters

Cunningham's night matters for three reasons. First, it is a genuine piece of NBA history: the first 50-point, 10-assist, zero-turnover game ever recorded. Second, it underlines Detroit's rise. The Pistons are no longer a rebuilding team hoping for respectability; with Cunningham playing at this level and Thompson producing triple-doubles beside him, they look capable of challenging the best of the Eastern Conference.

Third, it deepens Washington's crisis. Losing is one thing; losing when three of your starters score 30 or more is another. The Wizards did almost everything right offensively on Thursday and still lost their sixth straight game, which tells its own story about a team that cannot get stops when it matters most.

What Happens Next

Detroit will look to build on the win and keep its strong early-season momentum going, with Cunningham now carrying the confidence of a historic night into the games ahead. Washington, meanwhile, must find a way to end its six-game losing streak. The Wizards showed they can score with anyone, but until they defend better in the closing minutes, more nights like this one await them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many points did Cade Cunningham score against the Wizards?
Cade Cunningham scored 52 points for the Detroit Pistons in their 144-140 double-overtime win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday, November 12, 2026.

What NBA record did Cade Cunningham set?
Cunningham became the first player in NBA history to record at least 50 points and at least 10 assists in a game with zero turnovers. He finished with 52 points, 11 assists and five rebounds.

What was the final score of Pistons vs Wizards?
The Detroit Pistons beat the Washington Wizards 144-140 in double overtime at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Detroit outscored Washington 12-8 in the second overtime.

Who else starred in the Pistons-Wizards game?
Ausar Thompson had a triple-double for Detroit with 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. For Washington, Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr each scored at least 30 points, but the Wizards lost their sixth straight game.

How many overtimes did Pistons vs Wizards go to?
The game went to two overtimes. Washington twice forced overtime with clutch scores in the dying seconds, but could not force a third extra period.

Read more on the Pistons this season: Pistons beat Hornets 124-91 as Cunningham scores season-high 33 and 76ers beat Pistons 112-106 as Jaylen Brown's late block seals Detroit win. For another historic 52-point night this season, see Wembanyama's career-high 52 points lift Spurs past Mavericks 112-111.