The Magic Upsets the Pistons in Game 1 of Their Playoff Series
The Magic delivered the first real surprise of the 2026 NBA Playoffs by winning 112-101 on the road against the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their first-round series. The victory extends the Pistons‘ home playoff losing streak and reshuffles the deck in this matchup between the East’s 8th and 1st seeds.
A Blazing Start from Orlando Against a Rusty Pistons team
From the opening tip, the Magic set the tone thanks to a very active Jalen Suggs, who scored 8 points in the opening minutes. Orlando quickly jumped out to a commanding lead (18-5) against a Detroit team that was clearly lacking rhythm after several days off. The Pistons struggled badly early on, shooting 1-of-6 from the field and committing 4 turnovers.
“I think we were a little rusty at the start,” admitted Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “Giving up 35 points in a quarter isn’t typical of us. I felt like we were chasing them all night.”
Despite a brief comeback sparked by Cade Cunningham that briefly tied the game, Orlando closed the first quarter on another run to lead 35-27. The Magic never trailed throughout the game, making Detroit the first number one seed since 1997-98 to never hold the lead in their playoff opener.
THE 8-SEED MAGIC WIN GAME 1 IN DETROIT 🪄
This series could get interesting 👀 pic.twitter.com/bHxTxSjlm0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 20, 2026
Magic’s Balanced Attack vs. Cunningham’s One-Man Show
Paolo Banchero stepped up as the leader with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, but it was Orlando‘s overall balance that truly stood out. All five Magic starters scored at least 16 points: Franz Wagner (19 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter), Wendell Carter Jr. (17 points), Desmond Bane (17 points), and Jalen Suggs (16 points).
On the other side, Cade Cunningham put up a remarkable 39 points, a personal playoff record, but received very little support. Only Tobias Harris joined Cunningham in double figures with 17 points, though on a disappointing 5-of-15 shooting. “We’re sick about losing this one,” said Cunningham after the game. “It’s a long series.”
The Pistons‘ frontcourt struggled in particular, with Jalen Duren held to just 8 points on 4 shot attempts. “They packed the paint,” explained Bickerstaff. “They’re going to put a lot of bodies in there to make it tough on him.”
This loss extends the Pistons‘ home playoff losing streak to 11 consecutive games, a run dating back to 2008. Game 2 takes place Wednesday night in Detroit, where the Pistons must respond or risk falling into a deep hole before the series shifts to Florida.
Comments (0)