Cade Cunningham lifts Pistons

Cade Cunningham put Detroit back on level terms Wednesday night, leading the Pistons past Orlando 98-83 in Game 2 of their first-round series. (nba.com) Cunningham finished with 27 points, 11 assists and six rebounds as the top-seeded Pistons tied the series 1-1 at Little Caesars Arena. Detroit opened the second half with a 30-3 run after leading by just one point at halftime. (espn.com) The win ended Detroit’s 11-game home playoff losing streak, which dated to 2008 and had become the longest such skid in NBA postseason history. Orlando had taken Game 1, 112-101, before Detroit answered in Game 2. (nba.com) Cunningham’s night sharpened the central question in the matchup: whether Orlando can keep the ball out of his hands without opening shots for everyone else. NBA.com’s Game 2 breakdown noted that Detroit repeatedly used his pick-and-roll playmaking to force the Magic into rotations. (nba.com) That matters in a series between a 60-22 Detroit team that earned the East’s No. 1 seed and an Orlando team that entered as the No. 8 seed at 45-37. Through two games, though, the margin has been thinner than the seeding suggests: Orlando stole home court in Game 1 before Detroit reclaimed it in Game 2. (espn.com) The schedule now shifts to Florida, where Game 3 is set for Saturday, April 25, at 1 p.m. Eastern at Kia Center in Orlando. NBA.com lists the series as tied 1-1, with Peacock and NBC Sports Network carrying the afternoon game. (nba.com) For Detroit, the immediate task is repeating the control it found in that third quarter burst. For Orlando, the next adjustment starts with Cade Cunningham, because Game 2 turned when he dictated where the ball — and the defense — had to go. (nba.com)