NBA: Magic continue playoff push with win over Pistons

Orlando Magic overcame a late Detroit Pistons surge, with Paolo Banchero scoring 31 points and Desmond Bane adding 25 to secure a 123-107 victory. The win keeps Orlando in a tight race for the Eastern Conference playoff spots.

FIELD LEVEL MEDIA / Reuters

April 7, 2026

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) shoots against Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) during the second half at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on April 6, 2026.

Mike Watters / Reuters

Paolo Banchero scored 31 points and Desmond Bane added 25 as the Orlando Magic withstood a late rally and closed on a 14-2 run to beat the visiting Detroit Pistons 123-107 on Monday.

Anthony Black contributed 14 points off the bench for Orlando, which won for the fourth time in its last five games. Wendell Carter Jr., Jalen Suggs, and Tristan da Silva each added 12 points, while Suggs set a career high with 12 assists.

The Magic (43-36) are tied with the Charlotte Hornets (43-36) and Philadelphia 76ers (43-36) for seventh place in the Eastern Conference, just half a game behind the Toronto Raptors (43-35).

For Detroit (57-22), Jalen Duren and Daniss Jenkins led with 18 points each. Kevin Huerter and Javonte Green scored 17 apiece. The Pistons, who clinched the top seed in the East for the first time since 2006-07 with a 116-93 win over Philadelphia on Saturday, trailed by as many as 26 in the third quarter before opening the fourth on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 12.

Jenkins’ 3-pointer capped a 13-1 run with 4:07 left, narrowing Orlando’s lead to 109-105. But the Magic regained control, finishing the game with 12 straight points. Goga Bitadze’s dunk with 2:02 remaining extended Orlando’s lead to 121-105.

Orlando shot 75% from the free-throw line (30 of 40), while Detroit converted 68.4% (13 of 19). The Magic raced to a 23-12 lead before Detroit pulled within 30-28 by the end of the first quarter. Bane sparked a 10-2 run with back-to-back 3-pointers to put Orlando ahead 40-33 early in the second quarter, and the Magic led 69-55 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Orlando used a 9-0 run to move ahead 86-63, capped by a Banchero layup, and finished the period leading 98-76.

The Pistons have gone 8-3 since star Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung and were also without Tobias Harris (knee), Duncan Robinson (hip), and Isaiah Stewart (calf). Orlando forward Jamal Cain exited in the second quarter with a left calf contusion and did not return, while Carter left in the third quarter with a neck sprain.

—Field Level Media/Reuters