Cade's big home night

Cade Cunningham put Detroit back on even terms Wednesday night, finishing with 27 points and 11 assists in a 98-83 Pistons win over Orlando in Game 2. (nba.com) The win tied the Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1 and sent it to Orlando for Game 3 on Saturday, April 25, at 1 p.m. Eastern. Detroit was the No. 1 seed in the matchup, and Orlando entered as the No. 8 seed. (nba.com) Detroit broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Orlando 38-16 after a 46-46 halftime tie. The Pistons built a 27-point lead during a 30-3 burst and held the Magic to a season-low 83 points. (nba.com) It was Detroit’s first home playoff win since 2008 and the end of an 11-game home postseason losing streak, which the Associated Press described as the longest in National Basketball Association playoff history. The victory was also the franchise’s first playoff win at Little Caesars Arena. (nba.com, nba.com) Cunningham’s line mattered beyond one box score because Detroit had opened the series with a 112-101 home loss on April 19 despite his 39 points. Three nights later, he paired scoring with playmaking, and Detroit’s series deficit was gone before the matchup shifted to Florida. (nba.com) The Pistons’ defense did as much of the work as Cunningham’s offense. Detroit blocked 11 shots in Game 2, and Orlando did not get its first field goal of the third quarter until Desmond Bane hit a 3-pointer after more than seven minutes had elapsed. (nba.com, nba.com) Tobias Harris added 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Cunningham also grabbed six rebounds. Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 19 points in a game the Magic never recovered after halftime. (nba.com, espn.com) The NBA’s social account pushed Cunningham’s night immediately after the game, and the clip the user referenced drew more than 100,000 views on X. Online reaction centered on Cunningham’s control of the game and his role in ending a drought Detroit fans had carried for 18 years. (x.com, wxyz.com) Now the series is a best-of-five with two games scheduled in Orlando on April 25 and April 27. Detroit got the home breakthrough it had chased since 2008; Cunningham made sure it changed the series, not just the mood in the building. (nba.com)