Cade Cunningham returned from a collapsed lung after 11 games and dropped 13 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds in 26 minutes as Detroit crushed Milwaukee 137-111.
Cade Cunningham made his return to the court Wednesday night after missing 11 games with a collapsed lung — and he looked like he never left. In just 26 minutes against the Bucks, the Pistons' franchise player put up 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, dished 10 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds as Detroit rolled to a 137-111 victory.
The injury happened on March 17 when Cunningham dove for a loose ball and collided with Tre Johnson during a win over the Wizards. He was diagnosed with left lung pneumothorax — a collapsed lung — and missed the next 11 games. The Pistons went 7-4 without him, clinching the #1 seed in the East for the first time since 2007 along the way.
Now Cunningham is back with two regular season games remaining and the playoffs starting April 18. He admitted he was "kind of beat up" mentally during the recovery, describing the panic he felt when the diagnosis came in. The NBPA has pushed for an exception to the 65-game awards rule given the severity of his injury. But what matters most right now: the East's top seed has its best player back, and he looked ready.
Sources
Yahoo Sports
https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/pistons-star-cade-cunningham-returns-from-collapsed-lung-records-13-points-and-10-assists-in-win-over-bucks-164846080.html
ESPN
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48414009/pistons-cade-cunningham-nearing-return-collapsed-lung
Yardbarker
https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/kind_of_beat_up_cade_cunningham_opens_up_on_panic_after_collapsed_lung_following_impressive_pistons_return/s1_17730_43704226