April 3, 2026, 5:10 a.m. ET
The NBA was without two of its brightest stars during Thursday’s nationally streamed contest between the Detroit Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves. For Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards, their absences due to injury carried severe repercussions.
Both Cunningham and Edwards learned Thursday that they will fall short of the NBA’s 65-game rule for postseason-award eligibility. For Cunningham, the news became official hours before tipoff, when the Pistons announced he will miss at least another week while healing from a collapsed left lung.For Cunningham, it’s a, well, deflating outcome for a guard who otherwise has driven a Pistons team to the brink of the best record in the Eastern Conference. The two-time All-Star would’ve been a lock for some All-NBA recognition and likely would’ve garnered MVP votes as well.