Pistons end home drought
- The Detroit Pistons won Game 2 against the Orlando Magic, earning their first home playoff win since 2008. - That victory came as Detroit bounced back to even the first-round series at 1-1. - The historic home win breaks an 18-year drought and gives the Pistons momentum, according to Sports Illustrated. (si.com)
Detroit beat Orlando 98-83 on Wednesday night, giving the Pistons their first home playoff win since May 2008. (nba.com) Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 27 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in Game 2 at Little Caesars Arena. The win tied the Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1. (nba.com) Detroit broke the game open with a 30-3 run and won the third quarter 38-16 after trailing 47-45 at halftime. Orlando finished with 83 points, its lowest total of the season. (usatoday.com) (nba.com) The result ended Detroit’s 11-game home playoff losing streak, which the Associated Press and USA Today described as the longest such streak in NBA postseason history. The previous home playoff win came in the 2008 Eastern Conference finals, when Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace were still on the roster. (nba.com) (usatoday.com) (si.com) That drought had stretched across the end of Detroit’s 2008 loss to Boston, a 2009 sweep by Cleveland, a 2016 sweep by Cleveland, a 2019 sweep by Milwaukee, and Sunday’s Game 1 loss to Orlando. Detroit lost Game 1 of this series 112-101 on April 20 before responding two nights later. (usatoday.com) (espn.com.au) The matchup has also flipped the usual seed script. Detroit entered as the East’s No. 1 seed after a 60-22 regular season, while Orlando arrived as the No. 8 seed at 45-37 and stole home-court advantage in Game 1 before giving it back in Game 2. (espn.com.au) (nba.com) Sports Illustrated pointed to Isaiah Stewart’s bench energy and Detroit’s return to its defensive style after a rough opener. The Pistons held Orlando 29 points below its Game 1 output. (si.com) (clickorlando.com) The series now moves to Orlando for Game 3 on Saturday, April 25, with Detroit no longer carrying the home streak that followed the franchise for 18 years. (nba.com)
