Orlando walked into Detroit on Sunday and left with the first punch, beating the top-seeded Pistons 112-101 in Game 1 and taking control of a series that was supposed to tilt the other way. Game 2 is set for Wednesday in Detroit, where the Pistons now have to answer after losing on their own floor.
Cade Cunningham scored 39 points for Detroit, but it was not enough to stop the Magic from winning three of the four quarters. Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 23 points and nine rebounds, and the bottom seed made its case that the gap between the teams is not as wide as the bracket suggested.
That result matters because the Pistons arrived with a 28-13 home record in the regular season, while Orlando won 19 of its 40 road games. Those numbers pointed to a Detroit advantage in the series opener, which makes the Game 1 outcome all the more damaging for the top seed and all the more encouraging for the Magic.
The injury picture adds another layer to the matchup. Jalen Duren is listed as day-to-day with a knee injury, and Jonathan Isaac missed Game 1 because of a knee niggle, leaving both teams to weigh lineups and matchups as the series continues.
If the teams split the first two games, the series is expected to head to Florida this weekend. For now, Orlando has already taken away the comfort of the expected script, and Detroit has one game to stop the upset from becoming the story of the series.