DETROIT — The Orlando Magic had this one in hand early in the third quarter Friday night. Then the Detroit Pistons took it away, erased a 24-point deficit and won 93-79 in Orlando to force a Game 7 at home on Sunday.
Cade Cunningham powered the comeback with 32 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, including 19 points in the fourth quarter. Detroit’s 42-10 run after falling behind by 24 turned a game that looked headed for a closeout into one of the biggest second-half reversals in NBA postseason history.
The swing was brutal. Orlando missed a playoff-record 23 straight shots over a 12-plus minute span, shot 4 for 37 in the second half and finished 1-for-20 in the fourth quarter. Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs combined to go 2-for-26 after halftime and 0-for-13 from 3, a collapse that left the Magic with no answer once Detroit’s pressure climbed.
The Pistons took their first lead of the second half at 80-72 with 5:14 left after the 42-10 surge. Desmond Bane said Detroit simply played harder and more desperate, while Cunningham called it “Detroit grit” and said, “That’s what we’ve been talking about all year.”
The game changed against a backdrop that made the result even harder for Orlando to absorb. The Magic had led the best-of-7 series 3-1 before Game 6, and they were without Franz Wagner for the second consecutive game because of a right calf strain. Detroit, meanwhile, had already shown this series it could seize control with a runaway third quarter, using a 30-3 burst in Game 2 in Detroit before completing another rescue on Friday.
That is why Sunday matters now. The Pistons, who won 60 games and finished atop the Eastern Conference, have dragged a series that looked nearly over into a winner-take-all Game 7 on their floor. Bickerstaff’s message fits the moment: “Until it’s over for us, it ain’t over.”
For fans searching for where to watch Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons, the bigger story is what Detroit just proved. One more night will decide whether the comeback becomes the series or only the latest chapter in a wild first-round escape.
