DETROIT – Detroit Pistons MVP hopeful Cade Cunningham made his return to the team after a lengthy absence due to a collapsed lung, but he had moral support from a few players from the Michigan Wolverines’ national championship team and a Fab 5 legend inside Little Caesars Arena.
Cunningham, on Wednesday (April 8), had a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 10 assists in his return to the Pistons lineup during the final home game of the regular season against the Milwaukee Bucks, which the Pistons won 137-111.
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Motor Cade had been out of the lineup since March 19 after he suffered a pneumothorax in a road win over the Washington Wizards.
→ What is pneumothorax? Cade Cunningham injury explained: Detroit Pistons await reevaluation
As the saying goes, to the victors go the spoils, as Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg, Roddy Gayle Jr., and Trey McKenney were in attendance to take in the atmosphere after winning the school’s first title since 1989, when they defeated the UConn Huskies 69-63 inside Lucas Oil Stadium on April 7.
Also in attendance was Chris Webber, who, like Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson, was in Indianapolis over the weekend for an alternate broadcast to see their alma mater take down the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, April 4.
→ Fab Five reunion set for Michigan basketball vs. Arizona Final Four showdown in Indianapolis
Before the injury, Cunningham was averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in 61 games as Jalen Duren and the team stayed afloat, winning 8 of 11 games during his recovery.
Detroit, which already locked up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, improved to 58-22 and will look to get Cunningham back in shape ahead of its playoff push in the next two games of the regular season.