{"id":252684,"date":"2026-04-30T17:05:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/252684\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T17:05:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:05:15","slug":"orlando-magic-hoping-to-end-pistons-series-at-kia-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/252684\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Magic hoping to end Pistons series at Kia Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

DETROIT \u2014 Although the Magic<\/a> would have rather closed out their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Pistons<\/a> on Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena, Orlando<\/a> now has an opportunity to accomplish a franchise first.<\/p>\n

With eighth-seeded Orlando still leading the series 3-2 after Wednesday\u2019s 116-109 road loss, Friday\u2019s Game 6 against No. 1 Detroit<\/a> represents the first time the Magic have had a chance to clinch an NBA playoff series inside Kia Center<\/a> since the building opened in fall 2010.<\/p>\n

Orlando last won a playoff series in spring 2010, but that postseason was the final games played inside Amway Arena, the team\u2019s home since its 1989 origin. Kia Center is where the Magic have had success under coach Jamahl Mosley<\/a>; the team is 8-1 at home in the postseason the past three years, including two home wins over the Pistons this series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you can be discouraged from this performance as a team,\u201d Magic forward Paolo Banchero<\/a> said Wednesday night. \u201cYou\u2019ve just gotta realize where you let the game go and be better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to be in front of our home crowd on Friday so it\u2019s our turn to protect home,\u201d he added. \u201cThey\u2019re going to be desperate, we\u2019re going to be desperate, so it\u2019s going to be another war. We\u2019ve just got to be ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Magic believe they lost Game 5 because of their own mistakes, and it\u2019s hard to disagree. In a seven-point loss, Orlando missed 14 free throws (16-for-30), was outrebounded 49-33 and allowed 22 second-chance points to the Pistons.<\/p>\n

Still, Detroit led the entire night, jumped ahead by as many as 17 points and outscored the Magic 48-36 in the paint.<\/p>\n

It also didn\u2019t help Orlando that it was without Franz Wagner<\/a> due to a right calf strain suffered in Game 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could have been more locked in on the small details, knowing they were going to come out desperate because (the series) was 3-1,\u201d Magic guard Anthony Black<\/a> said. \u201cI think we\u2019ve just got to come out desperate as well back at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Magic center Wendell Carter Jr.<\/a> in the locker room: \u201cIt was all self-inflicted. It was nothing that they did that caused us to lose that game. So, we\u2019re confident going back to the crib.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite those \u201cself-inflicted\u201d factors, the Magic still had a chance to win the game late, largely due to the shot-making of Paolo Banchero, who knocked down six 3-pointers to record a playoff career-high 45 points.<\/p>\n

Pistons star Cade Cunningham<\/a>, however, met the moment with 45 points of his own, a Detroit franchise record for points in a postseason game. He surpassed Dave Bing\u2019s 44 points on April 1, 1968 vs. Boston.<\/p>\n

Banchero\u2019s final triple pulled the Magic within three points at the 1:09 mark of the fourth quarter, but Cunningham\u2019s 16-foot jumper made it a two-possession game again with 32 seconds left.<\/p>\n

The duel represented just the second time in league history that two opposing players each scored 45-plus points in a playoff game. The first such instance came in 2020 between Jamal Murray (50 points) and Donovan Mitchell (51) during a first-round series between the Nuggets and Jazz.<\/p>\n

Despite the high scoring mark, Orlando actually fell to 1-6 in the playoffs when Banchero notches 30-plus points. In comparison, the Magic are 4-2 when Banchero scores between 20-29 points, but only 2-2 when he fails to reach 20.<\/p>\n

Had he not scored more than half of Orlando\u2019s points in the fourth quarter (18 of 30), however, the Pistons likely would\u2019ve run away with the contest.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s elite,\u201d Magic guard Jalen Suggs<\/a> said about Banchero. \u201cHe\u2019s had some special ones in the regular season, but every time this time of year rolls around, you just see how it turns him up, what it does to him as a player.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood to be around him,\u201d Suggs added. \u201cIt\u2019s a pleasure. I love competing with him because he\u2019s a dawg. And he brings it out in me (and I) try to do my best to help bring it out of him as well. He\u2019s a great player and (Wednesday) was no different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to Banchero, the Magic actually outscored the Pistons 30-27 across the final 12 minutes.<\/p>\n

Orlando just dug itself in too deep of a hole against a 60-win team that didn\u2019t want to see its season come to a close early.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought their resiliency was great,\u201d Mosley said about his group. \u201cIt was a nine-point game, 10 point game, goes to 17 at one point, and you don\u2019t rattle. We go in at halftime down six and we had missed nine free throws at that point and gave up 10 offensive rebounds at that point \u2026 If you say that you\u2019re going to be in that situation on the road, would you take it? Yes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s not what we need to be doing,\u201d he added. \u201cWe need to start taking care of the things that we can, which is knocking down our free throws, boxing guys out, coming up with the 50\/50 basketballs. And that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to have to do and make sure we take care of home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Protecting homecourt will be no easy task for Orlando, given Detroit is determined to force a Game 7 on Sunday back at Little Caesars Arena<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Teams that lead a best-of-seven series 3-2 go onto win the series 84% of the time, according to the NBA. Home teams, however, win Game 7 of a best-of-seven series 74.2% of the time.<\/p>\n

Simply put, the Magic know what\u2019s at stake even though their season wouldn\u2019t end with a loss Friday, unlike Detroit\u2019s season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw how desperate they were. We should be just as desperate, if not more,\u201d Carter said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to come back (to Detroit).\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Up next \u2026<\/p>\n

Magic vs. Pistons, Game 6<\/p>\n

When: 7 p.m., Friday, Kia Center<\/p>\n

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