DETROIT -- Cade Cunningham scored 40 points a day after being selected as an All-Star reserve, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-102 on Friday night.
Cunningham matched a season high for points on 17-of-30 shooting, drawing "MVP" chants from the Little Caesars Arena crowd in the closing minutes. He added six rebounds and four assists while falling three points shy of his career-best 43 points.
Cunningham outscored his teammates 16-15 in the third quarter, including eight points in the final 2:42.
"He just plays at his own pace and you can tell he has a confidence about him this year that's different from last year," Mavs guard Kyrie Irving said. "Really happy for him that he finally got his nod too for the All-Star Game. It's good stuff."
Friday's 40-point effort capped a stellar January for Cunningham, who scored at least 30 points in eight games. It also marked his fifth game of at least 35 points this season, exceeding the total from his three previous NBA seasons combined.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Cunningham, 23, is averaging career bests in scoring (25.3 points), assists (9.3), rebounds (6.4) and steals (1.2).
Tobias Harris added 17 points and Jalen Duren had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Irving led Dallas with 28 points. P.J. Washington had 22 points and 13 rebounds.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.