ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) 鈥� The tend not to do things the easy way.
They lost seven consecutive games in March to put their playoff chances in peril. They needed to survive a play-in tournament elimination game 鈥� one that many thought they would lose 鈥� just to get into the playoffs. And on Saturday, they wasted a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and found themselves trailing .
In response, they simply did what they do best.
鈥淔ight,鈥� center Wendell Carter Jr. said.
Fight, they did, and the Magic found a way. They outscored Detroit 9-0 in the final 2:51, getting the last punch and the last word in that gave eighth-seeded Orlando a 2-1 lead over the top-seeded Pistons in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
鈥淲e did a good job of staying poised … not getting rattled,鈥� said Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who finished on the cusp of a triple-double with 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. 鈥淰ery composed from the team, and we got the job done.鈥�
Banchero had the game-sealing shot, too 鈥� a 3-pointer that hit the rim, bounced a couple stories into the air, then dropped through the net with the softest of swishes with about 40 seconds left.
鈥淭he basketball gods don’t reward hesitation,鈥� Banchero said. 鈥淭hat one, I didn’t hesitate and they blessed me with that make. A funny shot, but a big shot.鈥�
Detroit probably had one of those coming.
The Pistons, who trailed for most of the game, went on a 26-8 run in about six minutes to turn a 96-79 deficit into a 105-104 lead on a free throw by Cade Cunningham 鈥� who led all scorers with 27 points. Cunningham and Tobias Harris combined for 22 points in that spurt, one where Detroit shot 9-for-11 from the floor.
鈥淔or parts of the game, we did some good things,鈥� Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. 鈥淏ut down the stretch, they made some tough shots that made it hard for us to finish it out.鈥�
He’s half-right. The other half was this 鈥� Detroit made no more shots.
When the 26-8 run ended, all nine of the game’s remaining points were scored by the Magic. A team that seems to love being in the basketball pressure-cooker found a way, once again.
A 2-1 series lead going into another home game on Monday is Orlando’s reward, with the No. 8 seed now two wins away from an upset.
鈥淭here’s a lot to clean up as well,鈥� Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.
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