Magic take 3-1 lead over Pistons

The Orlando Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 94-88 on Monday, April 27, to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series. (espn.com) (nba.com) Desmond Bane scored 22 points, Franz Wagner had 19 in three quarters, and Paolo Banchero added 18 despite shooting 4 for 18. (espn.com) Orlando won while shooting 32.6% from the field, and Jalen Suggs went 1 for 13 overall and 1 for 11 from 3-point range. (espn.com) The difference was possessions. The Magic committed 12 turnovers, while Detroit had 20, including eight by Cade Cunningham. (espn.com) Cunningham still led Detroit with 25 points, and Tobias Harris scored 20, but the Pistons managed only 17 points in the third quarter and 88 for the game. (espn.com) The matchup has turned into a seeding shock. Detroit entered as the East’s No. 1 seed at 60-22, and Orlando entered as the No. 8 seed at 45-37. (espn.com) (nba.com) NBA.com’s series page lists Orlando as one win from the conference semifinals, with Game 5 set for Wednesday, April 29, in Detroit. (nba.com) The Magic are also chasing their first playoff series win in 16 years, according to the Associated Press report carried by ESPN. (espn.com) Franz Wagner left with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter because of right calf soreness, and Jamal Cain gave Orlando a lift in the fourth with a driving dunk and a tip-in. (espn.com) Now the series goes back to Detroit with the Pistons needing three straight wins to survive, and Orlando needing one more to finish the upset. (nba.com)