Detroit Pistons use massive third-quarter run to beat Magic while snapping 11-game home playoff skid

DETROIT – The No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons broke open a tight game with a dominant third quarter, using a massive 38-16 scoring run to pull away from the Orlando Magic to end their 11-game home playoff skid in Game 2.

Detroit opened the second half on an 11-0 run, sparked by a midrange jumper from Tobias Harris to open the half, sparking the massive run to eventually tie the series at 1-1 inside Little Caesars Arena.

On Wednesday (April 22), the Pistons ended an 11-game home playoff losing streak, having lost all three games in 2025, both home games after getting swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019 and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

Detroit also got swept by the Cavaliers in 2009, extending their streak to 11 games.

Meaning, prior to Wednesday’s victory, the Pistons had never won inside LCA since the building’s inception in 2017.

The victory also ended an 18-year home-game drought, as they achieved their last home playoff victory, which dates back to their 94-75 victory over the Boston Celtics on May 26, 2008, at The Palace of Auburn Hills, which has since been demolished.

Cade Cunningham finished with 27 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds in the victory.

Game 3 will take place inside the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, April 25, at 1 p.m. on Peacock.

1st quarter

The Magic won the tip, and Jalen Duren picked up a foul in the game’s first 20 seconds.

Duncan Robinson shot a quick three-pointer following a defensive rebound, which was an airball, but Tobias Harris rebounded it for a putback to give them their first lead of the series.

Cade Cunningham came down and drained a three-pointer to take a 5-0 lead before Wendell Carter Jr. picked up a foul on Cunningham, sending him to the line, where he split the pair as Detroit took a 5-1 lead.

Former Michigan Wolverines forward Franz Wagner made a driving layup for the Magic’s first basket of the game to cut the deficit to two.

Paulo Banchero drew a foul on Harris, sending him to the line for two free throws, but he missed the pair.

Cunningham found Ausar Thompson under the basket for a lay-up.

Motor Cade got a block after a turnover, but Carter Jr. returned the favor with a block on Harris, leading to a Jalen Suggs bucket, assisted by Desmond Bane.

Duren found Thompson for an alley-oop slam before Duren got a block, leading to a defensive rebound by Cunningham, who found fellow Wolverines’ alum Robinson for a contested corner three-pointer as Detroit took a 14-7 lead as Orlando called a timeout with 6:42 to play.

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff got a technical foul, sending Banes to the line to cash in on the free point.

Suggs hit a corner three-pointer before Cunningham knocked down a jumper, before leading a fastbreak for a slam dunk as Detroit took an 18-11 lead.

Thompson fouled Suggs on a fast break, sending him to the line for two, bringing in Isaiah Stewart and Javonte Green for him and Duren.

Suggs made both free throws before Kevin Huerter entered the game and turned the ball over, leading to a Banchero rim run to bring the deficit to three.

Goga Bitadze got fouled and sent to the line, making both to cut the deficit to 18-17 before Cunningham made a driving dunk to go back up three.

Banchero drained a jumper before Cunningham turned the ball over under the basket, while trying to find Green under the rim.

The turnover was their fifth of the quarter, while Detroit had six blocks with 2:54 to play.

After some sloppy play, Anthony Black made a contested layup to take the Magic’s first lead of the game.

Stewart got an offensive rebound following a Bitadze block on Daniss Jenkins for the putback to retake the lead.

Huerter drilled a contested three-pointer to take a 25-21 lead, before Jenkins drew a foul on Bane with one second to play, sending him to the line for two free throws, missing both to end the quarter.

Detroit went 0-2 from the line while Orlando went 6-9, although they trailed by four.

Cunningham led all scorers with nine points while Suggs and Thompson tied with four rebounds in the quarter.

But Detroit was sending everything away as they combined for seven blocks, putting defense as the focal point.

2nd quarter

Caris LeVert turned a Green deflection into a contested rim rim before Jenkins made a contested floater.

Duren turned the ball over, leading to a Carter Jr. fastbreak dunk.

LeVert, another Michigan alum, made a contested jumper to take a 31-23 lead.

Jenkins fouled Black, sending him to the line for two, making both to cut the deficit to six.

Duren missed a driving layup as Suggs grabbed the rebound and lobbed assists to Jamal Cain for the slam and the foul, by way of Green.

Cain missed the free throw, which was rebounded by Duren, but the Pistons couldn’t convert on the other end.

Detroit forced a 24-second shot-clock violation before Duren made a running jump hook, then Suggs drilled a three-pointer.

Jenkins turned the ball over, leading to a three-on-one fastbreak, but Banchero turned the ball over under the basket, leading to a Pistons timeout with 6:46 to play.

Detroit came out of the timeout with consecutive three-point misses from Robinson and Cunningham before Harris got a steal on the play.

Orlando turned the ball over before Thompson got called for a moving screen, picking up his third foul with 5:22 to play.

Ronald Holland II re-entered the game and drew a foul on Banchero, sending him to the line for two, which he made.

Cunningham missed a driving layup as Cain got an offensive rebound, but couldn’t convert.

Stewart made a putback before Suggs hit another three-pointer to tie the game at 35-35.

Bitadze fouled Cunningham, sending him to the line for two, splitting the pair.

Wagmer got the defensive rebound, finding Banchero for the and-one attempt, but he missed the free-throw, his third of the game.

Cunningham grabbed the defensive rebound and drew a foul on Suggs with 3:36 to play, but split the pair to tie the game at 37-37.

Banchero got the rebound and found Suggs for a three-point attempt, but he missed.

Robinson got the defensive rebound, leading to a foul by Suggs, his second of the game and the fourth for the Magic with 3:05 to play.

Wagner poked the ball away from Cunningham, leading to a full timeout by the Magic with 2:53 to play.

Cunningham found Duren for the lob attempt when he brought him back to the ground, and a quick putback to take a 39-37 lead.

Banchero drew a foul on Robinson, splitting the pair as Detroit led by one.

Harris made a floater before Bane tied the game with a three-pointer.

Cunningham went at Bane for the contested jumper before Bane picked up a third foul on Robinson, sending him to the line, where he split the pair.

Cunningham made a contested floater before Suggs hit an offhand floater.

Huerter missed a wide-open jumper before Duren got an offensive rebound while drawing a foul on Banchero, his third of the half.

Duren split the pair to take a two-point lead.

Wagner drew a foul on Green, sending him to the line for two to toe the game.

Cunningham turned the ball over, leading to a Wagner three-point contest at the buzzer, which bounced off the rim to end the half tied at 46-46.

3rd quarter

The Pistons opened the second half on an 11-0 run before Bane made a three-pointer to stop the bleeding.

Thompson made a dunk to push the lead to 10 points with 8:18 to play.

Carter Jr. fouled Cunningham before Harris stretched the lead with a baseline jumper.

Banchero missed a three-pointer before Robinson drained a three to take a 64-49 lead as Orlando took a timeout with 7:21 to play.

Harris started the run by opening the second half with a 12-foot step-back jumpshot.

Cunningham made a 12-foot jumper off a Wagner turnover.

He then found Duren for a slam dunk before Cunningham made a running layup and got fouled to take a nine-point lead before Harris made the jumper to push the run to 11-0.

Out of the timeout, Detroit forced another shot-clock violation before Robinson drilled another three-pointer, pushing the lead to 18-points.

Thompson got a steal and made a jam to go on another 12-0 run in 2:48.

Duren got fouled by Carter Jr. at the rim as Detroit went on a combined 22-3 run in the third quarter with 5:51 to play.

Carter Jr. got called for a flagrant foul, sending Duren to the line for two, splitting the pair before making an and-one, taking a 73-49 lead.

Detroit was on a 27-3 run, 16-0 in 3:46.

Banchero fouled Thompson during a defensive rebound, sending him to the line where he split the pair, moving the run to 28-3 and 17-0 in 4:05.

Stewart blocked Suggs at the rim, leading to a Green defensive rebound and foul on Bitadze, making both to push the run to 30-3 and 19-0 in 4:20.

Bitadze grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul on Stewart, sending him to the line for two, splitting the pair to stop the run at 30-4 and 19-1 with 4:08 to play in the quarter as the Pistons led 76-50.

Cunningham turned the ball over, leading to a Suggs bankshot.

Stewart drained a three-pointer to take a 79-52, pushing the run to 33-6 before Tristan da Silva made a three pointer.

Stewart made a bunny before getting fouled by Bane, converting the and-one to take an 82-55 lead.

Detroit pushed the run to 36-9 in the quarter as the assist by Cunningham as he had 20 points and 10 assists.

Black got fouled at the rim by Stewart, splitting the pair.

Green grabbed the defensive rebound, but Harris missed a nine-foot jumper as Wagner got the defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for the contested layup.

Jenkins got called for a foul on Banes while going after a contested rebound on the offensive glass, as he went to the line to make both.

Jenkins made an off-balance jumper to take an 84-60 lead before Wagner made an eight-foot floater to cut the deficit to 22 to end the quarter.

Detroit outscored the Magic 25-21 to end the first quarter, but Orlando flipped the script to outscore the Pistons 25-21 to end the first half, tying the game at 4-46.

But Detroit opened the third quarter on a mega run, turning defense into offense to outscore the Magic 38-16 to blow the game open.

4th quarter

Bane got fouled by Cunningham, sending him to the line for two, making both.

Cunningham turned the ball over as Black had a steal, but Bitadze made a bad pass to Robinson for a steal of his own.

Cunningham missed a 15-foot jumper before Wagner grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast to coast for a six-foot driving jumper to cut the deficit to 18 as Bickerstaff called a timeout with 10:35 to play.

Cunningham made a nine-foot jumper to push the lead back to 20.

Bitadze fouled Duren, but Harris got blocked by Bane.

Harris got a defensive rebound, but Cunningham turned the ball over.

Thompson made a dunk before Banchero made a jumper.

Robinson got called for a foul, sending Wagner to the line, making both to cut the deficit to 18.

Cunningham drew a foul on Banchero, sending him to the line for two, splitting the pair as Banchero grabbed the defensive rebound.

Banchero drove to the basket and tried to dunk on Stewart, who got all ball on the play, but was called for a foul, leading to a challenge by Bickerstaff with 7:32 to play.

The call was overturned, as Detroit had 11 blocks in the game.

Since no one had possession, both teams jumped at center court, as Stewart got the tip but got called for an offensive foul on the possession.

Suggs couldn’t convert on the following possession, leading to a nasty crossover and finish at the rim to take a 91-70 lead.

Cunningham had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.

Stewart turned the ball over, leading to a Banchero monster jam over him, drawing the foul to complete the three-point play.

Harris made a floater for his 14th point of the game. He also had 10 rebounds in the matchup.

Banchero blocked Harris before Robinson and Bane got called for double technical fouls with 4:46 to play.

Orlando challenged the play and won the appeal on the Banchero-Harris block.

Suggs made a jumper to cut the deficit to 93-75.

Suggs got called for a foul before getting called for a delay of game technical, but Cunningham missed the free-throw.

Banchero got an easy bunny following another turnover by Detroit as Detroit led 93-77.

Harris got fouled hard with 2:57 to play, sending him to the line where he converted both.

Former Michigan State Spartans star Jase Richardson entered the game and drilled a three-pointer.

Cunningham knocked down a jumper before Richardson nailed another three-pointer, before fellow Wolverines alum Moritz Wagner drew a foul on Robinson.

A double-technical was called on Harris and Jevon Carter.

Robinson split the pair as former Wolverines star Jett Howard shot a three-pointer to end the game.