The Orlando Magic almost gave Game 3 away—and then took it back.
Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane each scored 25 points as the Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 113-105 on Sunday to take a 2-1 series lead—but the win came with considerably more drama than the scoreline suggests. Orlando led by 17 points in the fourth quarter, watched Detroit erase the entire lead and take a brief advantage, and then closed the game on a 9-0 run to put the Pistons away.
It was not comfortable. It was enough.
The Collapse That Almost Cost the Magic
With the Magic ahead 96-79 and 8:34 remaining, the game looked finished. Then Cade Cunningham took over for Detroit, the Pistons outscored Orlando 26-8 over the next six minutes, and Cunningham converted a free throw with 2:52 left to give Detroit its first lead of the second half.
What happened next is what separates teams that can win playoff series from teams that cannot. The Magic outscored the Pistons 9-0 the rest of the way and closed it out.
Cunningham finished with 27 points and Tobias Harris added 23 for Detroit—a performance that deserved a better fate. The Pistons simply ran out of time.
“One game at a time,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “If we win on Monday, we take home-court advantage back. Today’s game, we’ll learn from it, but it’s over with.”
Banchero Leads the Way
Banchero was the most complete player on the floor all night. Beyond his 25 points, the Orlando forward finished with 12 rebounds and 9 assists—the kind of all-around performance that makes him so difficult to game-plan against. Franz Wagner added 17 points, Jalen Suggs contributed 15, and Wendell Carter Jr. put up 14 points and 17 rebounds in a quietly dominant interior showing.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley pointed to the defensive foundation that held even when the offence wobbled. “Our defense, our composure, our communication—so important,” he said.
Banchero kept it brief on what comes next. “We’re looking forward to Monday [Tuesday, Philippine time], man.”
The Physical Edge
The series has taken on an increasingly physical character, with Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart at the center of multiple confrontations. Stewart and Orlando’s Goga Bitadze were called for double fouls in the first quarter, then hit with double technicals seconds later for continued pushing and shoving after play resumed. Stewart was also whistled for a Flagrant 1 against Suggs in the second quarter, and Defensive Player of the Year finalist Ausar Thompson picked up a flagrant in the third against Anthony Black.
“We have to trust ourselves and trust our team that we can guard without fouling,” Thompson said—a lesson that will need to sink in before Game 4.
The Historical Stakes
Orlando—a team that had to survive an elimination play-in game just over a week ago—now has a 2-1 series lead over the top-seeded Pistons. It is the 13th time since 1984 that a No. 8 seed has taken a 2-1 advantage over a No. 1 seed in the first round. Of the previous twelve, five completed the upset: the Miami Heat in 2023, Philadelphia 76ers in 2012, Memphis Grizzlies in 2011, Golden State Warriors in 2007, and New York Knicks in 1999.
The Magic want to be next.
Game 4 is Tuesday in Orlando.
