The Mind-Numbing Comparison Of Cade Cunningham's 45-Shot Game To Kobe Bryant's 81-Point Performance
These two performances were not the same.
Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham channeled his inner Kobe Bryant, sort of, during his team's win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night by chucking up 45 shot attempts in the contest.
While Cunningham's 45 shots from the field are by far the most field goal attempts by a player in the NBA this season, he wasn't exactly efficient. After the Pistons earned the 137-135 win in overtime, Cunningham looked up to see that he had scored 46 points. The former first-overall pick went just 2-for-11 from three-point land while going 16-for-18 from the free-throw line.
For those trying to keep up at home, only 30 of Cunningham's 46 points came from the field, which is mind-numbing given his 45-shot attempts on the night.
Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket as Tre Johnson #12 of the Washington Wizards plays defense during the game on November 10, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Cunningham did manage to become just the second player in franchise history to record a 40-point triple-double, joining Isiah Thomas on that list, but it's impossible to ignore his misses.
All in all, Cunningham's 31 missed shots were the most by a player in a game since the 1976-77 merger, with the last player to miss that many shots being Rick Barry back in 1967, according to ESPN. Of the 1,534 instances of a 45-point game in NBA history, Cunningham had the second-worst field goal percentage (31.1%), behind only James Harden (20.7%) in 2019.
Cunningham's shot attempt total nearly matched the Pistons' total made field goals during the game, as Detroit went a whopping 47-of-114 from the floor.
When seeing a player attempt 45 shots in a single game, it's impossible not to immediately go back to Kobe Bryant's 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. Bryant put up his 81 points on just 46 shot attempts, one more than Cunningham had, while also going 18-for-20 from the free-throw line.
Bryant shot 60.9% from the field, nearly double Cunningham's final tally against the Wizards on Monday.