CLEVELAND (AP) — The No. 1 overall pick came out on top again.
Detroit rookie Cade Cunningham, being counted on to bring the Pistons back to relevancy, was named MVP of the NBA's All-Star Rising Stars on Friday night while leading Team Barry to a 25-20 win over Team Isiah.
Cunningham, who scored 13 points with six assists and five rebounds in the night's first game, had only 5 points in the finale but made several big plays down the stretch, including a clutch 3-pointer.
Cunningham also made a nifty pass inside to set up Orlando's Franz Wagner, whose free throw sealed Team Barry's victory.
When he was handed the MVP trophy at mid-court, Cunningham was playfully booed by the Cleveland crowd, which was pulling for Cavs rookie Evan Mobley to win the honor. Mobley was instrumental in Team Barry's victory, scoring 18 points — 12 on dunks — in the two games.
Don't tell Cunningham these games didn't mean anything. He came into the Rising Stars with one goal.
“To win,” he said. “I felt like we had the team to do it, so we had to come out and prove ourselves and the get the chip. So glad we did it.”
Hall of Famer Rick Barry beamed about his young team's effort.
“I’m proud of these guys because every one of them did a great job,” Barry said. “So it was great to see them playing basketball and they really went out and played the way the game should be played.”