Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Orlando Magic fended off a late rally by the top-seeded Detroit Pistons to take a surprise 2-1 lead in their NBA playoff series on Saturday. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane top-scored for Orlando with 25 points apiece as the eighth-seeded Magic pulled off a stirring 113-105 win in front of their home crowd.
Victory had briefly seemed in doubt after Orlando’s 17-point fourth-quarter lead was erased in a powerful late showing by Cade Cunningham, who led all scorers with 27 points. But having nudged into a single-point lead with three minutes remaining, Detroit did not score again and Orlando closed out the win with a 9-0 run. With barely 30 seconds remaining, Banchero’s three-point effort bounced off the heel, looped up in the air, and dropped straight through the net to seal the win. Banchero added 12 rebounds and nine assists, while Bane matched the Orlando playoff record with seven three-pointers.
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“We know how we stack up. We know what we got in this locker room. And so we don’t fear them,” Banchero said. Orlando are the lowest-seeded team in the Eastern Conference playoffs, having barely crept in with a last-gasp play-in win over the Charlotte Hornets. They will have a chance to extend their lead when they host game four on Monday, before the teams travel back to Detroit.
The Pistons comfortably topped the East with a 60-22 regular season record. But they now find themselves needing to win three of the four possible remaining games to avoid elimination. “We got a lot of respect. We just want to bring it on Monday,” said Banchero.
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