Magic stuns Pistons
- The No. 8 seed Orlando Magic upset top‑seed Detroit Pistons, leading wire‑to‑wire after an opening 3 by Jalen Suggs. (sports.yahoo.com) - Yahoo’s recap highlights Suggs' opening 3 and notes Orlando never trailed in Game 1 of the series. (sports.yahoo.com) - The result is one of the early shock outcomes as the first round of the playoffs unfolds. (sports.yahoo.com)
Orlando opened the playoffs by beating Detroit 112-101 on the road Sunday night, putting the East’s No. 1 seed in an immediate 0-1 hole. (nba.com) The Magic led 35-27 after one quarter, never trailed, and took Game 1 at Little Caesars Arena behind 23 points from Paolo Banchero. Cade Cunningham scored 39 points for Detroit. (espn.com) NBA.com’s game recap said Orlando got its first road playoff win since 2020, and the official series page lists Game 2 for Wednesday, April 22, in Detroit. (nba.com) Detroit entered the series as the Eastern Conference’s top seed after a 60-22 regular season. Orlando arrived as the No. 8 seed after finishing 45-37. (espn.com) That seeding gap is what made the opener stand out on the first weekend of the postseason, which began April 18 after the play-in tournament ran from April 14 through April 17. (nba.com) The result also added to Detroit’s home playoff problems. The Associated Press recap carried by NBA.com said the loss extended the longest home postseason losing streak in league history. (nba.com) Orlando’s control showed up in the box score as well. The Magic won the first and fourth quarters, and Detroit never got closer than the single-possession swing needed to erase Orlando’s opening burst. (espn.com) Now the pressure shifts to Game 2 on April 22: Orlando can leave Detroit with a 2-0 series lead, while the Pistons need a split before the matchup moves to Florida. (nba.com)
