Pistons rally from 24‑point halftime hole, win Game 6 93‑79 to force Game 7

Detroit just pulled off the kind of playoff comeback that changes how a series feels. The Pistons looked dead at halftime, trailed by 24 early in the third, and then completely flipped Game 6 on Orlando. By the end, the score was 93-79, the series was tied 3-3, and the Magic were left staring at one of the ugliest offensive collapses a playoff team can have. (espn.com) ### How bad did it look for Detroit? Really bad. Orlando led by 22 at halftime and pushed the margin to 62-38 early in the third quarter. At that point, the Magic looked ready to finish off the No. 1 seed on their home floor and become just the seventh No. 8 seed to knock out a No. 1 seed in the first round. (espn.com) ### So what changed? Defense first — then Cade Cunningham. Detroit started turning every Orlando possession into a grind, and once the Magic stopped scoring, the whole game tilted. Cunningham finished with 32 points and poured in 19 of them in the fourth quarter, which is basically when th(espn.com)e. (espn.com) ### How extreme was Orlando’s collapse? Extreme enough to get historic fast. The Magic missed 23 straight shots during the swing of the game, then finished by missing 27 of their final 28 attempts overall. Detroit ripped off a 35-5 run, and Orlando managed only 19 points in the entire seco(espn.com) ### Was this just hot shooting by Detroit? Not really. This was more about strangulation than fireworks. The Pistons didn’t need a barrage of impossible shots. They needed stops, rebounds, and one star who could keep attacking when everything got tense. That’s why the 55-19 second half mat(espn.com)ack, not a random heater. (nba.com) ### Why does Cade matter so much here? Because playoff comebacks usually need one guy to keep the team emotionally stable while everyone else catches up. Cunningham was that guy. After the game, he framed it as “Detroit grit,” which sounds simple, but it fits — the Pis(nba.com)when the game was chaotic. (espn.com) ### What does this mean for Orlando? It means the pressure just boomeranged. Orlando had a chance to close out the series at home and instead produced a collapse that will follow this matchup into Game 7. The Magic went from being one half away from a huge upset to having to win on the road after one of the worst finishing stretches imaginable. (espn.com) ### When is Game 7? Game 7 is set for Sunday, May 3, in Detroit. That matters because the Pistons now get the decider at home, and the emotional math of the series has totally changed. Orlando still has a path, obviously, but Detroit now has the crowd, the momentum, and proof that this series can swing violently in a few minutes. (indystar.com) ### Bottom line This wasn’t just a comeback win. It was a series-rewriting win. Detroit turned a near-elimination game into a home Game 7, and Orlando turned a clinching chance into a collapse people will remember. (espn.com)