The Detroit Pistons look to stave off elimination, as they return home to Little Caesars Arena for a must-win Game 5 against the Orlando Magic.
Losing back-to-back games in Orlando, including a close Game 4 loss to the Magic, leaves Detroit just one loss from an early summer vacation. After entering the 2026 NBA Playoffs with championship aspirations, the Pistons now look to avoid being the fifth No. 1 seed to lose to an No. 8 seed in the best-of-seven format.
While Cade Cunningham has continued to lead the team in scoring, his 24 turnovers over the past three games has him as one of two players to average more than seven turnovers per game in a three-game playoff span. Tobias Harris emerged as the team’s secondary option on offense this series with his 19 points per game while Jalen Duren still struggles to find his offensive rhythm.
This scenario is also déjà vu for the Magic franchise, as they held a 3-1 lead on the Pistons in 2003, but Detroit rallied with three straight victories to win that series. To make things more interesting, the Magic might be without one of their starters for Game 5, as Franz Wagner left Game 4 with a calf injury.
Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Kameron Goodwill.
NBA Playoffs, first round: No. 8 Magic vs. No. 1 Pistons
Magic lead series, 3-1
Game 1: Magic 112, Pistons 101
Game 2: Pistons 97, Magic 83
Game 3: Magic 113, Pistons 105
Game 4: Magic 94, Pistons 88
Game 5: at Detroit, Wednesday, 7 p.m. (Amazon Prime)
x-Game 6: at Orlando, Friday, TBD (TBD)
x-Game 7: at Detroit, Sunday, May 3 TBD (TBD)
x-If necessary
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic, NBA Playoffs, Game 5: live updates