NBA: Pistons complete comeback from 3-1 hole, vanquish Magic in Game 7

Cade Cunningham delivered 32 points and 12 assists, while Tobias Harris added 30 points and nine rebounds, as the host Detroit Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic 116-94 on Sunday in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Daniss Jenkins contributed 16 points off the bench, and Jalen Duren posted 15 points and 15 rebounds for the top-seeded Pistons, who won the final three games of the series to advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Detroit also became the 15th team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 deficit in a playoff series.

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 38 points, nine rebounds, and five blocked shots, while Desmond Bane added 16 points for the Magic, who lost a 3-1 series lead to Detroit for the second time in franchise history, the previous collapse coming in 2003.

Detroit will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where it will host fourth-seeded Cleveland beginning Tuesday.

Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised his team’s resilience throughout the series.

“It’s expected, and that’s the amount of belief that we have in this group,” Bickerstaff said. “This is a special group, and you can’t count us out, no matter the circumstances. I like our chances to fight our way back, and I thought we did a great job of that in this series.”

Detroit took control early in the third quarter, scoring 11 of the first 13 points, including six from Cunningham, to build a 71-51 lead. Orlando responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit, but the Pistons quickly pushed the lead back to as many as 20 points in the period.

The Pistons extended their advantage to 25 points with just over eight minutes remaining. The Magic made a late push, going on a 15-4 run to pull within 100-86 with 4:22 left, but Detroit answered by scoring 16 of the final 24 points to close out the win.

Harris was highly efficient, hitting 11 of 18 shots from the field and 5 of 7 from three-point range. In his 17th NBA season, his performance reflected his veteran leadership for the young Pistons roster.

“When we went down 3-1, we looked at ourselves to see if we would step up,” Harris said. “We did a great job blocking out the noise, staying connected, and understanding our goal. It was about taking it one game at a time, one possession at a time. I’m extremely proud of this group’s resilience.”

Defense dominated the first quarter, with neither team able to take control. The lead changed hands five times and the game was tied three times, with Orlando holding a narrow 22-20 advantage after 12 minutes.

The second quarter featured seven more lead changes before Detroit closed the half on a 20-6 run to take a 60-49 lead. The Pistons scored 40 points in the quarter, fueled by 17 from Harris and 10 from Cunningham, while Banchero led Orlando with 23 first-half points.

Detroit finished the game shooting 51.2 percent from the field (41 of 80), 48.5 percent from three-point range (16 of 33), and 81.8 percent from the free throw line (18 of 22).

Although Banchero and Bane combined to shoot 7 of 12 from beyond the arc, the rest of the Magic struggled, missing 15 of 18 attempts from deep.

“It’s frustrating being in the same spot three years in a row and getting the same result,” Banchero said. “We have to be better. It doesn’t start in April. It starts in the offseason. You build habits and create an environment where losing isn’t acceptable.”

Cunningham and Harris became the first Detroit teammates to each score 30 points in a playoff game since Bob Lanier and Howard Porter accomplished the feat in 1977.

“To do what we did in this series only makes us better for the next one,” Bickerstaff said. “It wasn’t easy, but going through this helps our guys understand what it takes to win at this level. We’ll take that experience into the next round.”

-Field Level Media/Reuters