Pistons Snap Drought
- The Detroit Pistons earned their first postseason win since 2008, tying their series 1-1 at home. (x.com) - Cade Cunningham paced the victory with a 25-point, 11-assist performance in that win. (x.com) - The upset gives the lower seed momentum and forces the higher seed to defend home-court expectations early in the first round. (x.com)
Detroit beat Orlando 98-83 on Wednesday, April 22, evening its first-round series at 1-1 and ending an 18-year wait for a home playoff win. (nba.com) Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 27 points and 11 assists, and the Pistons blocked 11 shots in a game that turned after halftime. (nba.com) The swing came in the third quarter, when Detroit opened the half on a 30-3 run and held Orlando to 83 points for the night. (nba.com) The result stopped the National Basketball Association’s longest active home playoff losing streak, which had reached 11 games and dated to the 2008 Eastern Conference finals. (nba.com) Detroit had dropped Game 1 at Little Caesars Arena on April 19, so the split sends the series to Orlando with home court no longer producing a 2-0 edge for the Magic. (nba.com) The Pistons are the East’s top seed this year after a regular season that pushed Cunningham into the Most Valuable Player conversation and returned the franchise to the playoffs after years near the bottom of the standings. (espn.com) For Orlando, the loss wasted a chance to seize full control of the matchup before the series shifted south. The next game is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, in Orlando, with the series tied 1-1. (nba.com)
