The Detroit Pistons are headed to a Game 7 after storming back from a 24-point deficit to beat the Orlando Magic 93-79 on the road at the Kia Center.
Orlando controlled the game early, but everything flipped in the third quarter when Detroit outscored the Magic by 13. From that point on, momentum fully shifted. Cade Cunningham took over, finishing with 32 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals, while Tobias Harris added 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Detroit is now one win away from avoiding becoming just the seventh No. 1 seed in NBA history to fall to a No. 8 seed.
The Magic offense completely unraveled after halftime, managing just 11 points in the third quarter and eight in the fourth. During that stretch, they endured a brutal run of 23 consecutive missed shots. Orlando’s 19-point output in the second half was easily a playoff record for any half, breaking the previous mark of 23 shared by multiple teams.
Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane each scored 17 points to lead Orlando.
Now, the series heads back to Detroit for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday, where the Pistons will try to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Here are the key takeaways heading into Game 7.
Pistons show resiliency in their worst moments
There’s something about being in the worst of situations that brings the best out of these Pistons. After trailing by 24, their biggest deficit of the series, they summoned a level of togetherness that seemed nearly impossible. Detroit outscored Orlando 55-19 in the second half to pull off a run for the ages.
Not only did the Pistons force a Game 7, but they’ve also seemingly taken the Magic’s spirit in the process. Paul Reed completely changed the tenor of the game with his minutes during that third quarter to help Detroit claw back into the game. The Pistons never looked back.
Kia Center seemed to be in a collective state of disbelief as fans filed out early. Those who stayed watched their team cough up a lead that seemed insurmountable. Detroit is in complete control as this series heads back to Little Caesars Arena. The Magic are effectively on the ropes after this one.
Where are the Magic after this collapse?
There have been a total of 155 Game 7s in NBA playoff history.
Four of those games were played in 2020 during the pandemic, at the Disney bubble, where home-court advantage was not a factor.
Excluding those games in the bubble, home teams have gone 113-38 in Game 7s.
Going on the road to Little Caesars Arena will be a major disadvantage for the Magic, but not an insurmountable one. The Magic won Game 1 there 112-101 and lost a winnable Game 5 there 116-109 after they went 16 of 30 on foul shots and allowed the Pistons to collect 16 offensive rebounds.
But this won’t be a typical Game 7. This will be a Game 7 after a monumental collapse by the Magic, who took a 24-point lead with 11:11 remaining in the third quarter.
The rest of the third period was the worst quarter in Magic franchise history. Until the fourth quarter, that is.
There may have been worse quarters statistically, but those two rank right up there because of the importance of this game. The Magic had a chance to close out a series at home, and they collapsed. Even in the age of 3-pointers, this was a terrible collapse.
The Pistons ramped up their defense, and the Magic lost control of their offense, going 3-for-17 from the field with five turnovers in the quarter. Orlando has been prone to opponents’ runs much of the season — remember the Raptors’ 31-0 run against them on March 29? — and this was no different, except for the importance of the situation.
The Magic missed their first 16 shot attempts of the fourth quarter. They only broke that string when Paolo Banchero scored on a dunk with 2:24 to play, cutting Detroit’s lead to 89-77. — Josh Robbins
