Cade Cunningham put 37 points past the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. But that was ultimately for naught as the Detroit Pistons fell to them, 123-115. Was James Harden scoring 50 points the difference-maker tonight? Cade doesn’t think so. But the reason he gave for the Pistons’ loss tonight may get him into serious trouble with the league.

At the post-game press conference tonight, the reporter asked what helped the Clippers edge out the Pistons in the final stretch of such a close game. “Get calls,” Cade replied curtly. But he didn’t stop there. The Pistons guard elaborated on the disparity between him and Harden, which he felt ultimately decided the game.

“Comparing the free throws to us two, I think a lot of that has to do with respect from the refs as far as the experience…It’s hard for me to respect getting hit and not getting a call. Everybody sees that. I mean, they see other calls; they don’t see mine or don’t feel like it’s a foul. So what can I say about that?” said Cade about how the officials treated him and Harden differently during tonight’s game. The NBA doesn’t really appreciate players commenting on officiating during games. And considering the nature of his comments, Cade may have opened himself up to getting punished quite severely by the league.

That said, it’s still hard to argue with Cade on this one. He shot only 6 free throws tonight and made 5 of them. Guess how many Harden shot. Hint: It wasn’t 5 more or 10 more than Cade. No, James Harden shot an astounding 20 free throws tonight, making 16 of them. No wonder he put 50 on the board tonight. This is an insane difference and clearly hammers home Cade’s point about the partiality shown to James Harden by the officials tonight.

However, don’t think Cade is no longer a James Harden fan just because a few calls didn’t go his way tonight. Quite the opposite actually. Here’s what he said about Harden dropping 50 tonight.

Cade Cunningham is all praises for James Harden’s 50-point performance against the Detroit Pistons

“Game recognises game.” This is a phrase that has been used, not overused, for years now. But it’s true, hence the overuse. And after dropping 37 points himself tonight, Cade Cunningham didn’t shy away from singing James Harden’s praises after a 50-point hustle from the Clippers veteran.

A reporter asked Cade what makes James Harden so hard to defend. “I mean, he’s one of the best iso scorers the league has ever seen. Like, I can’t put enough respect on his ability to score the ball. His ability to find angles and stuff…He’s been in this league, killing it for a long time,” he said.

No lies were spotted here. James Harden is an absolute madman when it comes to getting points on the board for his team. This is his 15th year in the league, and his points average for a season has only dipped below the 20-point mark thrice. That’s 12 seasons of scoring 20 points per game or more! Not to mention the 2018/19 season when he averaged an astounding 36.1 points per game. It’s hard to dispute Cade when he calls Harden one of the best iso scorers in league history.

And despite the controversial free throw differential, Harden was still outstanding tonight. You kind of have to be to score 50, right? After back-to-back losses to the Lakers, this win will go a long way in boosting the Clippers’ morale. As for the Pistons, well, they did look good tonight. So they should just keep doing what they’re doing and hope the refs get it right in their upcoming game against the Golden State Warriors!