Cade Cunningham Out for Pistons vs. Cavs with Calf Injury, Will Be Day-to-Day

Having already missed the last two games with a calf injury, Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham is going to sit out a third straight contest on Friday.

The Pistons announced imaging on Cunningham's calf confirmed a contusion that will keep him out against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.

Cunningham will officially be listed as day-to-day going forward. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff later told reporters the injury is "one of those things" where the team has to "let it heal." Bickerstaff added the team will see how he progresses during its road trip.

The injury occurred in Detroit's 123-117 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on March 21. He was a late scratch for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans and sat out Tuesday's victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

There was no obvious indication anything notable happened to Cunningham against the Mavs. He played 38 minutes, scoring 35 points with seven rebounds and six assists.

A light part of the schedule has allowed the Pistons to get by without Cunningham. They have won their last two games going into a marquee matchup against the East-leading Cavs.

Not having Cunningham takes some of the shine off this game, but the Pistons can move slowly with his return since they are on the verge of being locked into a top-six seed to avoid the play-in tournament.

Cunningham has already reached the 65-game threshold required to make him eligible for postseason awards and All-NBA voting, the latter of which would add $45 million to the max extension he signed last summer.

The Pistons (41) have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the NBA this season. They surpassed their win total from the previous two seasons combined (31) on Feb. 24.

Detroit's magic number to clinch a top-six seed is at four with nine games remaining. The Pistons haven't made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season.

Cunningham was named to his first All-Star team this season. The 23-year-old is averaging career-highs in scoring (25.7 points per game), assists (9.2) and field-goal percentage (46.2) in 66 starts.