The Detroit Pistons have not won a playoff series since 2008. On Monday, they finally did—emphatically.
Cade Cunningham posted 32 points and 12 assists, Tobias Harris added 30 points, and the Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 116-94 in Game 7 at Little Caesars Arena to close out one of the more dramatic first-round series in recent memory. Detroit advances to the second round, where they will host Game 1 on Wednesday against the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Toronto Raptors Game 7.
The Pistons became the 15th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit—and the second in consecutive nights, following the Philadelphia 76ers’ comeback against the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
Two Players, One Statement for the Pistons
Cunningham and Harris delivered a performance that belongs in franchise history. The two became the first Pistons teammates to each score 30 points in a playoff game since Bob Lanier and Howard Porter accomplished the feat against the Golden State Warriors on April 17, 1977. Cunningham averaged 32.4 points for the series. The Pistons needed both of them in Game 7, and both delivered.
Harris was the story of the first half. He scored 17 points in the second quarter alone as Detroit finished the half on a 9-2 run to take a 60-49 lead. Cunningham then took over in the third—combining with Harris for nine of the Pistons’ points in an 11-2 run that pushed the lead to 71-51 and effectively ended the series as a competitive contest. Daniss Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the Pistons into the fourth ahead 83-64. Orlando never seriously threatened from there.
All-Star center Jalen Duren also had his best game of the series, posting 15 points and 15 rebounds after being outplayed by Wendell Carter Jr. in the previous six games. When you get that kind of contribution from your third piece alongside Cunningham and Harris, the result is a 22-point Game 7 win.
Magic’s Collapse
Paolo Banchero scored 38 for the Magic—the only Orlando player to truly impose himself on the game. Without Franz Wagner, who was lost to injury in Game 4, the Magic simply did not have enough. Desmond Bane was the only other Orlando player to reach double figures in the first three quarters with 10 points. The Magic scored just 113 points across the final six quarters of the series—an average of 18.8 points per period. You cannot win a playoff series scoring at that pace.
The collapse that defined this series came in Game 6, when Orlando led by 24 points and still lost. Detroit erased that deficit, won the game, and rode the momentum home for a Game 7 that was never as close as the Magic needed it to be.
What It Means
Detroit last won a playoff series in 2008, when they beat this same Orlando Magic team in the second round. Eighteen years later, a franchise that spent the better part of a decade in a rebuild finally has its first postseason series victory of the modern era—completed with a dominant Game 7 performance that felt less like a close call and more like a statement.
Cunningham has been the engine of this team all series and all season. Harris gave him what he needed in the biggest game. The city of Detroit has been waiting for something to celebrate.
Now they get Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday at home. The wait is over.
