Pistons’ Cade Cunningham gets major props for beautiful missed free throw

Cade Cunningham amazed some fans with how he intentionally missed a free throw in the Detroit Pistons’ NBA Cup matchup against the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

Cunningham is going through the fifth season of his career with the Pistons. He is off to a blazing hot start to the 2025-26 campaign as he helped Detroit leap to the top spot of the Eastern Conference standings. His performances have been remarkable, creating an early MVP case for the young guard.

However, the contest against the Magic put the Pistons in a tough spot. Detroit trailed in the final seconds as Cunningham went to the free-throw line. Needing a 3-pointer to tie the game, he missed his last attempt on purpose as he got the ball to go right back to him as he passed it out to Duncan Robinson for the attempt from downtown. Even though the shot was unsuccessful, some people took note of Cunningham’s technique with the free-throw miss.

“Cade Cunningham with the BEST intentionally missed free throw in NBA history,” one said.

“One of the best you’ll ever see,” another remarked.

Cade Cunningham with the BEST intentionally missed free throw in NBA history pic.twitter.com/4DXqe8lGKE

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) November 29, 2025

How Cade Cunningham, Pistons played against Magic

Cade Cunningham nearly got his team to stay alive in the matchup. However, the team’s efforts fell short in the 112-109 loss to the Magic.

Both teams traded blows throughout the course of the game as Orlando only led 59-58 at halftime. The tempo remained the same in the second half as the visitors made enough big play down the stretch to stun the hosts and escape with the road win.

Steals, turnovers and inside scoring made the difference in this matchup. The Magic prevailed in all three categories by making 15 steals, limiting their turnovers to just 14 and scoring 62 points inside the paint. It wasn’t the same for the Pistons as they had seven steals, turned the ball over 24 times and produced 46 points inside the paint.

Three players scored in double-digits for Detroit in the loss, including Cunningham. He dominated with a stat line of 39 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. He shot 13-of-26 from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. Tobias Harris came next with 18 points and five rebounds, while Jalen Duren put up 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Detroit fell to a 15-4 record on the season but maintain the top spot of the Eastern Conference standings. They are one game above the Toronto Raptors and two games above the Miami Heat.

The Pistons will look to bounce back in their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Heat on Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. ET.

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