Cade

Cunningham

Sasser wasn’t the choice to start once Cade Cunningham was scratched from the Pistons’ lineup, but that did not prevent the second-year guard from having one of his best games this season. The 20 points were two shy of Sasser’s season-high, and this was his first game in double figures since February 11. Dennis Schroder (16/1/5/2 with one three-pointer) received the starting nod and would be the superior streaming option if Cunningham is unavailable for Tuesday’s game against the Spurs.

Schroder will fill in for Cade Cunningham, who was a late scratch because of a calf injury. This will mark his first career start with Detroit.

Cunningham was a late scratch after scoring 35 points against the Mavericks in his last game. Dennis Schroder will start in his place against New Orleans. The calf injury is new and portends the possibility of more missed games in Cunningham’s future.

Cunningham has eclipsed 35 points on three occasions since the start of March. The 23-year-old point guard also chipped in with seven rebounds and six assists. Perhaps most notably, Cunningham only had two turnovers after committing at least four turnovers in three of his last four games. He’s a fantasy superstar, but the turnovers are the one category where he has some considerable room for improvement.

With the clock winding down in a tie game Wednesday, Cunningham banked in a three-pointer over Bam Adebayo with less than one second remaining. The 23-year-old point guard’s buzzer beater sealed a back and forth game that included 18 lead changes and 10 ties. Cunningham also had his ninth triple-double of the season as he continues to be a superstar in both fantasy and real life.

While the rest of the starters’ production was capped by the lopsided score, Cunningham was still able to turn in a strong line in the massive win. It certainly could have been a bigger night if New Orleans was able to keep this game somewhere close. Blowouts have limited Cunningham at times over the past month, but he was still able to be on the floor long enough to make up for Saturday’s 11-point performance that ended early following an ejection. He’ll look to keep this going in Miami on Wednesday.

Cunningham was assessed two technical fouls in quick secession while arguing a call late in the third quarter. Having played 29 minutes, he finished with 11 points (5-of-18 FGs), seven rebounds and nine assists. Dennis Schroder will assume the point guard duties for the remainder of Saturday’s game.

What a monster night it was for Cunningham. This was his sixth-straight game with at least 25 points, and he added another double-double, along with plenty of defensive production. Cunningham isn’t known for having a generous whistle, but he lived at the foul line on Thursday. He shattered his previous career-highs of 13 free throws made and 13 free throws attempted in a game. It isn’t something managers should get used to since he only averages 5.4 attempts per game. However, it was nice to see him have success there in this game.

Cunningham’s breakout season just keeps getting better. He has scored at least 25 points in five consecutive games and has two double-doubles during that stretch. Turnovers have generally been a massive issue for him, but he only had three in this game. He had at least five in each of Detroit’s last five games prior to this, which makes his three on Tuesday look even better. Detroit only has two more games this week, which includes a rematch with the Wizards on Thursday.

While he shot the ball well on Sunday, turnovers were an issue for Cunningham. One night removed from committing nine turnovers in a loss to the Warriors, he was responsible for eight against the Trail Blazers. High-turnover nights have been rare for Cunningham, which has been one of the areas of significant improvement for him this season. A top-10 player in eight-cat formats since the All-Star break, Cade is ranked just outside the top 25 in nine-cat. His overall production has been good enough to avoid taking too big of a hit due to turnovers, which has been great for fantasy managers. The Pistons head home for three games during Week 19, starting with the Wizards on Tuesday.