For their next trick, the Orlando Magic will make a 22-point halftime lead disappear. It remains to be seen if their season is next.
In a series they once led 3-1, the Magic are headed to a Game 7 on the road against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons after the worst collapse of the postseason. They finished the first half with a 60-38 lead. They finished the game with a 93-79 loss.
Overall, the Magic were outscored 55-19 in the second half. A professional basketball team scored 19 (nineteen) points in 24 minutes of basketball, with a chance to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals at home on the line.
Catastrophe doesn’t begin to describe what happened in Orlando on Friday. The best way to process it is going through the numbers, so here are a few for your thoughts.
23
That’s how many consecutive field goals the Magic missed during a stretch in the second half, a playoff record in the play-by-play era. They weren’t missing gracefully either.
21 straight missed shots. Not by accident. pic.twitter.com/6W9b70nk6K
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 2, 2026
24
The Magic’s largest lead of the game, topping out early in the third quarter. They ended up losing by 14.
16:24
How much time the Pistons needed to tie the game after halftime.
3
The Pistons became the third team in the play-by-play era to rally from 20+ points down at halftime when facing elimination in a playoff game‼️
2018 Thunder: 25-point comeback
2026 Pistons: 24-point comeback
2024 Wolves: 20-point comeback pic.twitter.com/Z44RNtpem0— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) May 2, 2026
23
Yes, we are repeating numbers. In this case, that was the previous record for fewest points in any half of an NBA playoff game. The Magic beat it by four points.
4-for-37
What the Magic shot overall in the second half, with three of those makes coming in the first eight minutes of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, they were 1-of-20.
Here’s what all of that looks like:
Magic shot 4-37 in the 2nd half. pic.twitter.com/VGBTgwqJ3f
— Micah Adams (@MAdamsStatGuy) May 2, 2026
0
The Magic did make a field goal in the fourth quarter, a Paolo Banchero dunk. So they didn’t make a single jump shot in the fourth quarter.
45
The Magic just went 45 min of real time between made baskets (8:46 ET to 9:31 ET)
Magic: 23 consecutive missed FGA, the most consecutive missed shots by any team in a playoff game in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98).
Only 2 other teams missed 20+
•2001 Kings: 22 straight…— Jorge Sedano (@Sedano) May 2, 2026
10
Somehow, that was also the fewest turnovers the Magic have committed in a game this series, which underscores just how bad their shooting was.
1996-97
The @DetroitPistons recorded the largest comeback by a road team facing elimination since the 1996-97 season, overcoming a 24-point deficit in Game 6. pic.twitter.com/1tDHD4MO39
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 2, 2026
48
Roughly how many hours the Magic have to mentally and physically recover from all of this before they have to play a Game 7 on the road.