Pistons try to seize Game 3
- The Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic enter Game 3 of their first-round series tied 1-1 on Saturday, April 25, after Orlando won 112-101 in Game 1 and Detroit answered 98-83 in Game 2. - Detroit’s turnaround came in a 30-3 third-quarter burst Wednesday, with Cade Cunningham posting 27 points and 11 assists as the Pistons held Orlando to 32.5% shooting and eight made 3-pointers. - The series now shifts to Orlando’s Kia Center for Game 3 at 1 p.m. Eastern, with the winner taking the first lead in a matchup NBA.com says has looked closer than a 1-versus-8 seed line. (nba.com)
Detroit and Orlando head into Game 3 on Saturday, April 25, with their first-round series tied 1-1 after splitting the first two games in Detroit. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Orlando opened the series with a 112-101 road win on April 19. Detroit answered on April 22 with a 98-83 victory to send the matchup to Kia Center even. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The swing game was Detroit’s third quarter Wednesday, when the Pistons ripped off a 30-3 run in about eight minutes after the score was tied at halftime. Cade Cunningham finished with 27 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Detroit also looked more like the East’s No. 1 seed in Game 2 on defense. The Pistons held Orlando to 32.5% shooting from the field and 8-for-32 from 3-point range, while Tobias Harris scored 16 points and Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson added 11 each. (nba.com) Game 3 is the first playoff game of the series in Orlando, with tipoff set for 1 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday, April 27, also at Kia Center. (nba.com) (nba.com) The matchup has played tighter than the seeding suggests. NBA.com noted before Game 3 that the 1-versus-8 label masks two physical teams that have looked closely matched through two low-scoring games. (nba.com) Through two games, Detroit had scored 199 total points and Orlando 195. Neither team had shot well from deep, with the Pistons at 27.6% from 3-point range and the Magic at 27.3%. (nba.com) Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after Game 2 that Orlando is “a very talented, very good basketball team,” and Harris said Bickerstaff “really got on us in the locker room” at halftime before the Pistons’ surge. (nba.com) Saturday’s winner will move ahead 2-1, with at least one more game guaranteed in Orlando before the series returns to Detroit for Game 5 on April 29 if necessary. (nba.com)
