DETROIT — Detroit Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham is missing a third straight game with a bruised calf.

The Pistons announced Cunningham would not play against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, adding the All-NBA candidate is day to day.

He hurt his left calf last week in a game at Dallas.

Cunningham has been the key player during Detroit's turnaround, leading a team vying for home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs after having the league's worst record the previous two seasons.

The Pistons set a single-season record with 28 straight losses last year and finished with 14 wins, a year after winning just 17 games.

With two-plus weeks before the postseason, they guaranteed this season wouldn't end with a losing record.

Cunningham, the No. 1 pick overall in 2021, has had a lot to do with that by averaging 25.7 points, 9.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds a game.

First Published March 28, 2025, 5:43 p.m.