There were six players named first-time NBA All-Stars when the reserves were announced Thursday, and besides the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, none of them were on a team with a worse record than the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, who has guided his squad to a 23-24 record, good for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
It’s a testament to how good Cunningham has been, as well as how much the Pistons have over-achieved after being the worst team in the NBA over the last five seasons. This season, Cunningham is averaging 25.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 9.3 assists — all career highs.
Tonight, Detroit will take on the injury-bitten Dallas Mavericks, who need Luka Dončić badly and have dropped to eighth in the Western Conference. The game tips at 7 p.m. ET in Michigan.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Pistons are one-point favorites and the point total is set to 229.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bet centered around the former first overall pick.
Best Cade Cunningham Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Cade Cunningham to Record a Double-Double (-135)
Cunningham has settled in as one of the NBA’s most well-rounded players, posting 20 double-doubles and seven triple-doubles. He is one of just three players — along with Nikola Jokić and Dončić — to average 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game this season. Interestingly, he has no points-rebounds double-doubles; every time he has reached double-digit rebounds this year, he has recorded a triple-double.
Dallas’ season has been hard to assess, since it was the fourth seed in the West when Dončić suffered a calf strain on Christmas Day that has kept him out ever since. But in their last nine games — since starting center Dereck Lively II went down with a stress fracture in his ankle — the Mavericks have struggled, allowing the 11th-most points, 13th-most rebounds, and 10th-most assists per game, going 4-5 across that span. Whether it’s through points and assists or points and rebounds, Dallas’ defense is mediocre enough at all facets of the game that Cunningham should have no trouble posting a double-double.
