NBA Playoffs: Pistons vs. Magic

The Pistons are down in the series. They are the number one seed losing to a number eight seed. The Pistons have a record of 60-22, and the Magic have a record of 45-37. The Pistons are holding on barely, being down 3-1 in the series before the game last night. Cade Cunningham, point guard for the Pistons, scored 45 points, and the Pistons only won by seven points. Cunningham has been carrying his team since the first game of the series.

The Pistons have an amazing team. They have All-Star center Jalen Duren and All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham. Cunningham has not had a game in this series where he has had fewer than 25 points. However, all the games have been close. Jalen Duren performed decently well throughout the series, but the Pistons need more from him to make a comeback and force a game seven. The Pistons’ supporting cast has not been doing great. The bench is not performing as well as the Magic’s bench. 

Paolo Banchero, power forward for the Magic, also scored 45 points in game five. Banchero may not be as consistent as Cunningham, but he certainly is doing well. Paolo has also led in at least one statistic in every single game. Banchero’s supporting cast has also been doing great. The Magic bench has outscored the Pistons bench in every single game of the series. The Magic needs to perform very well to win the sixth game. With the Pistons having all the momentum, Banchero and all the starters need to perform very well to beat Cunningham. 

Detroit never trailed and went ahead by 15 early in the final quarter of game five. The Magic made one more run, pulling within three points on Banchero’s sixth 3-pointer with a minute left. Banchero matched Cunningham with 45 points, also a playoff career high, but he missed seven of 12 free throws. However, the Magic lead the series 3-2 and will get a chance to advance at home on Friday night.

Orlando, which had to win an elimination game at home in the play-in tournament, is close to becoming the seventh No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 in a series in league history. It’s happened only four times since the playoffs were expanded to a best-of-seven series for all rounds in 2003. The Pistons are mounting a comeback, but need to win this game to force a game seven. If the Magic win, this would be an insane moment, especially for a team that has been struggling for a few seasons in a row. This is a must-win game for both teams.