Cunningham's historic 52-point night powers Pistons past Wizards in double overtime

Cade Cunningham poured in 52 points as the Detroit Pistons survived a double-overtime battle to defeat the Washington Wizards 144-140 on the road Thursday night.

Washington twice rescued the game with scores in the closing seconds to force extra periods, but the Wizards could not produce a third escape as Detroit held firm to secure a memorable victory away from home.

Cunningham's performance entered the record books. He became the first player in NBA history to score 50 points while dishing out 10 assists without committing a single turnover. Ausar Thompson supported him with a triple-double of 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.

The Wizards had three starters finish with at least 30 points, as Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr all reached the mark, but the effort was not enough to halt Washington's losing streak, which stretched to six games.

"Two overtimes, it was just going to come down [to] who wanted it more, who had more in the tank," Cunningham said. "I'd bet on my team any day. So great win for us."

The contest swung back and forth with 20 lead changes. Detroit recovered from a sluggish start to open a double-digit advantage early in the second half, only for Washington to chip away. The Pistons led 119-118 when Cunningham was fouled with under two seconds left, and he converted both free throws. Young answered with a composed shot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

The Wizards surged ahead 128-121 in the first extra period, but Cunningham refused to let the game slip away. His three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining tied the score, and he then found Duncan Robinson for what looked like another. A video review showed Robinson's toe on the line, leaving Detroit with only a two-point cushion. Young then set up AJ Dybantsa, this year's top draft pick, whose pull-up jumper forced a second overtime.

Cunningham struck again in the second extra session, hitting a fadeaway shot for a four-point lead with 25 seconds left. This time Washington had no answer, as Young missed two three-point attempts and the Wizards managed only two free throws before failing to score on their final possession.

Elsewhere, Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points to lead Philadelphia to a 123-112 comeback win over the Toronto Raptors. The 76ers played without LeBron James, who was rested to manage a lower back issue ahead of his 42nd birthday next month, and trailed by 17 points in the first quarter after Joel Embiid briefly left the court with a knee injury. Embiid returned to score 20 points as Philadelphia completed its fifth double-digit comeback of the season, improving to 10-3, half a game behind the 10-2 Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference. "We'll take it. I mean, extreme professional win by us. We stayed with it. Didn't start out great, but it was a good win," Maxey said, adding of Embiid: "We played together the last seven years, so I kind of know where he's going to be, he knows where I'm going to be at, and it's good for us."

In other results, the Minnesota Timberwolves routed Dallas 133-94, while Devin Booker's 30 points lifted the Phoenix Suns past Charlotte 101-96.