Orlando Magic lead Pistons 2-1
- Orlando beat Detroit 113-105 in Game 3 on Saturday, giving the No. 8 Magic a 2-1 first-round lead over the top-seeded Pistons. - Paolo Banchero finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Franz Wagner scored 25 as Orlando stole back home-court advantage. - Game 4 is Monday, April 27, at 8 p.m. Eastern in Orlando, with Detroit trying to avoid a 3-1 hole. (nba.com)
Orlando took Game 3, 113-105, on Saturday and now leads Detroit 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series. (nba.com) Paolo Banchero scored 29 points with eight rebounds and six assists, and Franz Wagner added 25 points as the Magic won despite entering the series as the No. 8 seed. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The win flipped home-court advantage back to Orlando after Detroit, the East’s No. 1 seed, split the first two games. Game 4 is set for Monday, April 27, at 8 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Detroit’s star has still produced. Through three games, Cade Cunningham is averaging 31.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists in the series. (nba.com) Orlando’s edge has come from its top-end scoring and frontcourt play. The league’s playoff hub said the Magic have been “winning battle of big men” as the series tightened. (nba.com) The stakes in Game 4 are straightforward: teams that take a 3-1 lead go on to win the series 95.6% of the time, according to the NBA’s playoff live updates page. (nba.com) Monday’s pregame Rookie of the Year announcement is separate from this series. The finalists are VJ Edgecombe, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, not Banchero, who is in his fourth NBA season. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) If Orlando wins again Monday night, the Magic will head to Detroit with a 3-1 lead and a chance to close out the top seed in Game 5. (nba.com)
