Detroit Pistons 144-140 Washington Wizards
The Wizards twice extended the game with clutch scores in the dying seconds, but could not repeat the trick a third time as the Pistons held their nerve to claim an epic road win.
Cunningham became the first player in NBA history to score 50 points and add 10 assists with zero turnovers, while Ausar Thompson had a triple-double with 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.
The Wizards had three starters scoring 30-plus points -- Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr -- but it was not enough to prevent Washington's sixth defeat in a row.
In a back-and-forth game featuring 20 lead changes, Detroit started slow but built a double-digit lead early in the second half.
It was slowly whittled down by Washington, but the Pistons were clinging on to their lead when Cunningham was fouled at 119-118 with less than two seconds remaining.
Cunningham sank both free throws, but Trae Young made a nerveless trey right at the buzzer to force overtime.
The Wizards raced 128-121 up, but Cunningham would not quit.
He made a three-pointer with 30 seconds left to level the score, then set up Dunacan Robinson for what appeared to be another. A video replay ruled Robinson's toe was on the line, and Detroit had only a two-point lead.
That proved crucial, as Young set up this year's top draft pick AJ Dybantsa, who forced a second overtime period with a pull-up jump shot.
Cunningham made a fadeaway shot for a four-point lead with 25 seconds left, and this time the Wizards could not conjure a third comeback.
Young missed two three-point efforts, with Washington settling for two free throws, but were unable to score in their final possession.
Philadelphia 76ers 123-112 Toronto Raptors
Elsewhere, Tyrese Maxey powered Philadelphia to its latest comeback victory, scoring 27 points as the Sixers shrugged off a slow start and the absence of LeBron James to beat the Toronto Raptors 123-112.
Maxey added eight assists, linking up seamlessly with Joel Embiid, who briefly left the court early with a knee injury but returned to add 20 points.
The Sixers had trailed by 17 points in the first quarter, immediately following Embiid's absence, but rallied for their fifth double-digit comeback this season.
"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," said Maxey.
"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," he said, of his partnership with 2023 MVP Embiid.
Veteran James, who turns 42 next month, was ruled out of Thursday's clash to manage a lower back issue.
That meant extra work fell on the Sixers' bench, who managed 39 points led by Anfernee Simons' 17.
Philadelphia moves to 10-3, just half a game back from the 10-2 Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference.
Around the League
In Minnesota, a dominant Minnesota Timberwolves team rolled to 9-3 on the season despite missing Anthony Edwards as they took down the Dallas Mavericks 133-94, moving to 5-1 on their home floor thus far in 2026/27. This game perfectly showed off the T-Wolves depth, with Bones Hyland leading the scoring off the bench with 24, while starting point guard LaMelo Ball added 22 with another four players in double digits for Minnesota.
For Dallas, it was an uncharacteristic night for Cooper Flagg who ended with just 12 points on 5-12 shooting, and with only Zaccharie Risacher going over 20 points in the game, it was a poor offensive night for the Mavericks as they move to 7-5 on the season.
In the final game of the night, the Phoenix Suns took down the Charlotte Hornets in a tight contest, with Devin Booker at his absolute best dropping 30 points on 12-20 shooting and 4-8 from beyond the arc. In support, Dillon Brooks had 15 while another three Suns were in double digits as they managed to hold on late for a 101-96 victory.
It was another unfortunate outing for the Hornets who now fall to 4-7 on the season, with Coby White picking up 21 points while Naz Reid and Grayson Allen combined for 30 as Charlotte once again struggled to put together a full 48 minute performance.