Pistons beat Magic 116-109, force Game 6

Detroit’s season didn’t end Wednesday night because Cade Cunningham refused to let it. He scored 45, hit the biggest shot of the game in the final minute, and dragged the Pistons past Orlando 116-109 in Game 5. That matters because Detroit had lost two straight in Orlando and was one loss from a very abrupt exit despite being the East’s No. 1 seed. Now the series goes back to Florida with the Magic still up 3-2, but with real pressure back on them. (apnews.com) ### Was this basically the Cade game? Yes — completely. Cunningham set a Pistons franchise playoff record with 45 points, and this wasn’t empty volume. He made 16 of 29 shots, hit 5 threes, and buried a step-back jumper with 32 seconds left after Orlando had spent the second half trying to turn t(apnews.com)t time. (espn.co.uk) ### Didn’t Paolo Banchero answer all night? He did. Banchero also scored 45, which is why this game felt tense even when Detroit seemed in control. Orlando never really got blown off the floor because Banchero kept creating offense and giving the Magic a way back in. The weird part is that one player on each side had 45, but (espn.co.uk) the one that decided things. (fox35orlando.com) ### So where did Detroit actually win it? The first quarter was huge. Detroit scored 38 in the opening period and built the cushion it spent the rest of the night protecting. Orlando cut the margin to two early in the third, but Cunningham hit his fifth 3-pointer late in that quarte(fox35orlando.com)wing, Detroit found one stabilizing shot. (espn.com) ### Why was this such a big swing in the series? Because this had started to look like a classic top-seed collapse. Detroit won 60 games, grabbed the No. 1 seed in the East, then fell behind 3-1 to an Orlando team that entered as the No. 8 seed. Another loss would have made the Pistons one of those regular-season juggernauts that(espn.com)hemselves a trip to Game 6 and changed the mood of the matchup. (espn.com) ### Does Orlando still have the edge? Yes — but it’s smaller now. The Magic still lead 3-2, and Game 6 is back in Orlando on Friday, May 1. That means they still have two chances to finish the series, one at home and one, if needed, in Detroit. But the catch is that closeout games feel very different once the other team has redisc(espn.com)gh to survive. (nba.com) ### What does Detroit need again in Game 6? Not necessarily another 45 from Cunningham — asking for that twice is a bit much — but it does need the same shape of game. Fast start. Cleaner shot-making. Enough secondary offense that Orlando can’t load up on every Cunningham touch in the fourth. Wednesday showed the formula: get ahead(nba.com)under pressure late. (espn.co.uk) ### And what’s Orlando’s problem now? The Magic let a winnable series get noisy again. They had Detroit on the brink and still got a monster Banchero game, but they couldn’t turn that into a knockout. Now they go home with the better position, but also with the memory of Cunningham controlling the biggest possessions. In a sh(espn.co.uk)e line. (fox35orlando.com) ### Bottom line? Detroit didn’t solve the whole series Wednesday night. It solved the immediate problem — elimination. And sometimes that’s enough to make everything feel different heading into the next game.