Cade Cunningham's masterpiece saves Pistons in 116-109 Game 5; Rockets also stave elimination
- Detroit stayed alive by beating Orlando 116-109 in Game 5, with Cade Cunningham erupting for a franchise playoff-record 45 points on Wednesday night. (apnews.com) - Houston also forced Game 6, beating the Lakers 99-93 behind 22 points from Jabari Smith Jr. and 18 from Tari Eason. (espn.com) - Both series are now 3-2, turning two near-closeouts into pressure games heading into Friday’s Game 6s in Orlando and Houston. (abcnews.com)
The NBA playoffs got two very different survival acts on Wednesday night, but they landed the same way — no handshakes yet. Detroit beat Orlando 116-109 behind a(apnews.com)ffort that drags a series back from the edge. The stakes were simple. Lose, and the season ends. Win, and all the pressure jumps to Game 6. (apnews.com) ### Why was Cunningham’s night such a big deal? Cunningham didn’t just sc(abcnews.com)ely had to have. The shot that really stamped it came late: a step-back jumper with 32 seconds left. That’s the kind of bucket that changes the mood in an arena and, for one more night, changes the shape of a series. (apnews.com) ### Was Orlando bad, or was Detroit just better? Mostly, Detroit finally got the version of i(apnews.com)com’s live recap listed him at 45 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists — so this wasn’t some no-show from the Magic. It was more like a duel that Detroit barely won because Cunningham had the last, hardest answers. Orlando still leads 3-2, but the easy closeout chance is gone. (nba.com) ### What changed in that (apnews.com) as the No. 1 seed against a No. 8 seed, which is not where a top seed expects to be in late April. Now the Pistons have dragged the series back to Orlando for Friday’s Game 6. For the Magic, that means a second closeout attempt and a lot more noise around a series that could have been over already. (clickondetroit.com) Rockets with 22 points, Tari Eason added 18, and Alperen Sengun finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. The team numbers tell the story better than any highlight — Houston hit 14 threes to the Lakers’ 7, forced 15 Los Angeles turnovers, and spent most of the night in control after a rough first quarter. (espn.com) ### Why does that win feel bigger than one(clickondetroit.com)ockets were supposed to be done. Instead, they’ve made the Lakers play another road game in a series that suddenly looks tense instead of routine. (nba.com) ### What about the Lakers? LeBron James had 25 points, but the Lakers never really found clean offensive rhythm. They got outshot from deep, coughed up the ball too much, and let H(espn.com) less comfortable. That’s the catch in closeout games. If you don’t end it early, the younger team starts believing. (espn.com) ### So what’s the real takeaway? Wednesday didn’t produce an upset or a clincher. It produced stress. Detroit and Houston both proved they have enough top-end shotmaking and enough (nba.com)rb that punch on Friday instead of letting doubt turn one bad night into something much bigger. (nba.com)
