The drought is OVER! For the first time in 18 years, the Detroit Pistons have won a playoff series, completing a stunning 3-1 comeback against the Magic; Yankee Scores reports…
Cade Cunningham racked up 32 points along with 12 assists, and Tobias Harris contributed 30 more points to help Detroit Pistons beat Orlando Magic 116-94 in the Game 7 to end their 18-year wait to emerge victorious from a playoff series.
Star Performances
In the series, Cade Cunningham had scored an average of 32.4 points per game for Detroit Pistons, who last won a playoff series against Orlando Magic in the second round of 2008. Detroit Pistons will now meet the winners of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Toronto Raptors series to be held later tonight, where the first game will take place on Tuesday.
Admin view goes crazy 🔥 https://t.co/Bcu2ivnDSB pic.twitter.com/X4mGRDn3Ve
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 3, 2026
“I mean, to be honest with you, I never doubted that we were going to win this series,” Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “And that’s the truth of the matter.”
“Credit to [the Magic], they pushed us,” Cunningham said. “They really made us take a look in the mirror. I think we got a lot better from this series. I got a lot better, learned a lot about myself, learned a lot about the team. So, I think this series really is going to set us up for our next series, and we’ll be a lot better for it.”
Historic Pistons
The Pistons became the latest team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit, making them the 15th team to achieve this feat in the league’s history, and also became the second team within two consecutive days, following the recent win by the Philadelphia 76ers over the Boston Celtics.
Banchero scored 38 points for the Magic.
Both sides needed a secondary offensive option in this Game 7 match. Cunningham had been leading the charge for Pistons, whereas Banchero had been taking charge of the offense for Orlando since Franz Wagner was sidelined because of injury after the Game 4 loss.
The Secondary Spark
Harris proved to be the secondary offensive threat for the Pistons. On the other hand, the Magic lacked another offensive outlet apart from Harris until Desmond Bane contributed 10 points in the game.
Harris spearheaded a 17-point run in the second quarter during which the Pistons dominated Orlando and ended the half on a strong note with a 9-2 scoreline to lead 60-49 into halftime.
UNC KNOCKS DOWN ANOTHER pic.twitter.com/A6RGcKkpQO
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 3, 2026
Double-Double Impact
Duren performed exceptionally well in the Pistons’ win. He scored his first double-double of the playoff series with 15 points and rebounds.
“I know who I am, I know who the team is,” Duren said. “Outside noise is whatever it is. In our locker room, we know who we are — as a team, as a group, as an organization. We don’t take this ‘dawg’ s— lightly, really feel like we’re dawgs. We feel like when our back is against the wall, the whole world counts us out, that now it’s time to go. Now, it’s time to keep swinging. I never doubted anything. I never doubted the guys.”
Pistons maintained their winning momentum.
They started the third quarter with another run and scored 11-2. This increased their lead to 71-51, scoring nine of the points himself and along with Cunningham and Harris.
Magic Fall Short
During the third quarter, the Magic managed only 15 points. It was one of their three scoring totals below 20 points across five quarters.
Daniss Jenkins made a shot clock buzzer beater, helping the Pistons get into the fourth quarter with a 83-64 lead over the Magic.
TALK THAT TALK @Djenkinss5 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/BrNLsPaQvQ
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 3, 2026
“We had a great regular season,” Cunningham said. “We built a lot of momentum going into this playoffs. And to lose in the first round would have really stung. I think it would have stung the city. The city has gotten more and more excited about this team, and we feel the love. So, we wanted to perform and to figure it out and to come back from 3-1. Odds against us, and to come back and win it at home feels good. It feels really good. And we’re excited for what’s to come.”
