ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Cade Cunningham scored 32 points and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons pulled off an incredible rally Friday night, erasing a 24-point deficit and beating the Orlando Magic 93-79 to force a Game 7 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.<\/p>\n
Detroit trailed by 22 at the half and Orlando\u2019s lead went to 62-38 early in the third quarter. The Magic looked absolutely poised to become the seventh No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the first round.<\/p>\n
And then everything went wrong for Orlando. Everything. <\/p>\n
\u201cDetroit grit,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve been talking about all year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Magic became the first team since 1996-97 \u2014 when play-by-play began getting tracked digitally \u2014 to lose at home after leading by at least 24 points with a chance to win a series.<\/p>\n
That number, and a whole lot of others, were just baffling. The Magic missed 23 consecutive shots from the field, Detroit went on a 35-5 run and just like that, the story of the game \u2014 and quite possibly the series \u2014 changed wildly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took each possession at a time, both offensively and defensively, and tried our best to execute on every single possession,\u201d Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. \u201cEvery screening action, every rebound, all the small things. We went out and focused on that. And we put ourselves in position to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tobias Harris scored 22 points for Detroit, which will host Game 7 on Sunday. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane each scored 17 for Orlando, which is now 0-2 in closeout opportunities in this series and was again without injured forward Franz Wagner.<\/p>\n
The first quarter was back and forth, Detroit leading 26-25 after those opening 12 minutes.<\/p>\n
The second quarter: Magic 35, Pistons 12.<\/p>\n
Orlando outscored the Pistons 17-0 from 3-point range and the free-throw line in that quarter, held Detroit to 2-for-11 shooting over the first 5:48 of the period and took a 60-38 lead into the half.<\/p>\n
The 22-point halftime lead was the fourth-largest by a No. 8 seed over a No. 1 seed in this format. And there was never an instance of a No. 8 seed \u2014 at least in the play-by-play era, which started in 1996-97 \u2014 outscoring a No. 1 seed by 23 or more points in any quarter of a playoff game, either.<\/p>\n
It seemed over. It was not. Because the third quarter: Pistons 24, Magic 11.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen things get sideways, people splinter. And this group does the opposite,\u201d Pistons guard Duncan Robinson said. \u201cIt finds a way to just come together. There\u2019s a lot of pride in that locker room, not wanting to go out like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tone was set for a comeback \u2014 an epic one \u2014 and when the night ended those who remained in Orlando\u2019s Kia Center booed as they departed for possibly the final time this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to go do it the hard way,\u201d Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.<\/p>\n
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