Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham appears to have mastered the art of the missed free throw.
Cunningham was at the line with his team trailing the Orlando Magic 112-109 in the fourth quarter of their NBA Cup game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. on Friday. With just 4.7 seconds left, the clear strategy was for Cunningham to intentionally miss the free throw in the hopes of getting a rebound and another chance at a game-tying three.
Not only did Cunningham miss successfully, he did it so perfectly that the ball came off the rim and landed directly in his hands.
Cade Cunningham with the BEST intentionally missed free throw in NBA history pic.twitter.com/4DXqe8lGKE
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) November 29, 2025
Cunningham could not have drawn that up any better. He kicked the ball out to Duncan Robinson, who missed badly, and the Pistons wound up losing.
The Pistons have lost two in a row after a 13-game win streak. Cunningham did not put together a great final minute in the previous game, but he showed that he has mastered at least one late-game situation that can be exploited to his advantage here.
