Pistons Host Warriors Without Star Cade Cunningham

Detroit looks to maintain East's top seed despite losing All-Star guard to collapsed lung

Mar. 20, 2026 at 12:55pm

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The Detroit Pistons will host the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, but they'll be without their star player Cade Cunningham. Cunningham was recently diagnosed with a collapsed lung and will miss at least two weeks of action. The Pistons are coming off back-to-back wins over the Washington Wizards, including a 117-95 victory on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Warriors are struggling, having lost 8 of their last 10 games. Golden State is currently in 10th place in the Western Conference standings and faces an uphill battle to make the playoffs.

Why it matters

The Pistons are atop the Eastern Conference standings, but losing their All-Star guard Cade Cunningham is a major blow. The team will have to find a way to maintain their position without their leader. For the Warriors, this game represents an opportunity to get back on track and improve their playoff positioning in the West.

The details

The Pistons received the bad news on Thursday that Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung in Tuesday's game against the Wizards. He will miss at least two weeks of action. Despite Cunningham's absence, the Pistons have won 5 of their last 6 games, including Thursday's 117-95 victory over Washington. All-Star center Jalen Duren had 24 points and 11 rebounds in that game, while backup Paul Reed added 17 points. The Warriors, on the other hand, are struggling, having lost 8 of their last 10 games. They were blown out 120-99 by the Celtics on Wednesday, with coach Steve Kerr saying the team needs to be 'a lot better defensively'.

  • Cunningham was injured during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
  • The Pistons won in Washington again on Thursday, 117-95, their fifth victory in six games.
  • The Pistons and Warriors will face off on Friday night in Detroit.

The players

Cade Cunningham

The Pistons' All-Star guard who was recently diagnosed with a collapsed lung and will miss at least two weeks of action.

Jalen Duren

The Pistons' other All-Star, a center who had 24 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday's win over the Wizards.

Paul Reed

A backup player for the Pistons who scored 17 points in Thursday's victory.

Steve Kerr

The head coach of the Golden State Warriors, who said the team needs to be 'a lot better defensively' after their blowout loss to the Celtics.

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What they’re saying

“It's tough. Tough for Cade to go through what he's going through now. He's a huge part of what we do from a leadership standpoint. The talent's there, but being around him every single day makes people's days better. We'll miss that.”

— J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons Head Coach

“We did a lot of things well offensively, got a lot of good looks. It was just a night where shots didn't go down. We've got to be a lot better defensively. Some game-plan mistakes early, A lot of fouling at the beginning of the third quarter got us in trouble.”

— Steve Kerr, Warriors Head Coach

What’s next

The judge in Cunningham's case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow him out on bail.

The takeaway

This game highlights the Pistons' resilience in the face of adversity, as they look to maintain their position atop the Eastern Conference without their star player. For the Warriors, it represents an opportunity to get back on track and improve their playoff positioning, but they'll need to shore up their defense to have a chance against the conference-leading Pistons.