Magic spoil Cunningham’s 39-point night, hand Pistons historic home playoff struggles
Alta Sports3 days ago · 78 views
Magic spoil Cunningham’s 39-point night, hand Pistons historic home playoff struggles image

Photo: Getty Images

 

The Orlando Magic opened the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 112–101 road win over the Detroit Pistons, becoming the first team to win on the road in this postseason.

 

Despite a brilliant performance from Cade Cunningham, the Pistons couldn’t overcome Orlando’s depth, dropping their 11th consecutive home playoff game — the longest such streak in NBA history.

 

Cunningham carried Detroit offensively, finishing with 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in 40 minutes on 13-of-27 shooting, including 3-of-8 from three-point range and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. He kept the Pistons within striking distance early, scoring 9 points in the first quarter to match Orlando’s efficient start.

 

After a quiet stretch in the second quarter, Cunningham reasserted himself in the third when the Magic opened up a double-digit lead. His driving layup ignited a 10–0 run that briefly swung momentum back to Detroit.

 

In the fourth, Cunningham poured in 16 more points, refusing to let the game slip away quietly. But his effort wasn’t enough against a balanced Orlando attack, with all five Magic starters finishing with at least 15 points.

 

Beyond Cunningham, Detroit struggled to find consistent scoring support, with the rest of the roster combining to shoot just 18-of-51 (35.3%) from the field.

 

The loss extends a painful trend for the Pistons at home in the postseason. Their last home playoff victory came in Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Since then, Detroit has dropped 11 straight home playoff games across multiple postseason appearances, including sweeps in three of their last four playoff trips and a winless home slate in last year’s return to the playoffs.

All comments 12
Parreño Terante Jerome
hot commentSad for detriod
2 days agoReply
like0
Jennifer Chua
hot commentTough loss but that performance proves he is building something special
3 days agoReply
like0
Dodong Sports
hot commentDon't you think the Pistons and Rockets are quite similar? A bunch of young roughnecks, starting out with defense, but their offense is completely off the mark.
3 days agoReply
like0
Da Oc
boooo
2 days agoReply
like0
Cherry Nacor
Congratulations
2 days agoReply
like0
By Ron
basic
2 days agoReply
like0
Ret Fird
Oh no! 👍
3 days agoReply
like0
Ricardo M. Mariano Jr.
nice one
3 days agoReply
like0
Eusebio Ganson
He could been better in the 4th but he needs help
3 days agoReply
like0
Cade Cunningham
He did his best, but unfortunately the other Pistons players are all trash!
3 days agoReply
like0
Load more
10
12
4
Share