Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The top-seeded Detroit Pistons recovered from the brink of NBA playoff elimination with an astounding comeback against the Orlando Magic on Friday, taking their series to a decisive game seven. Up 3-2 and seeking a close-out win, the Magic had led by as many as 24 in the second half, before their shooting suddenly collapsed and Detroit took full advantage. A shell-shocked Orlando missed 23 consecutive field goals — the longest streak in playoff history — scoring just one point in over 10 minutes of basketball, as the Pistons sealed a 93-79 victory.
Detroit requires one more win to reach an Eastern semi-final against either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Toronto Raptors, whose series also stands 3-3 after an overtime Raptors win Friday. “Never say die, simple as that. I mean, Detroit grit, it’s what we’ve been talking about all year,” said Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, who led the scoring with 32 points and 10 rebounds. Having been down 3-1 in the series, the Pistons had looked set to become just the seventh top seed in NBA history to lose in the first round to their conference’s bottom seed. But they now have a chance to win the series back in Detroit on Sunday.
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After an even first quarter, Orlando went on a hot streak, shooting 62 percent in the second quarter as their defense restricted Detroit to 12 points. Orlando’s lead stretched to 24 soon after the break before the pressure of closing out their first playoff series win since 2010 seemed to kick in. Boos rained down on the court as a 71-54 Magic advantage was transformed into an 80-72 Detroit lead. The Pistons, having dominated the regular season, will now be favorites to win their own first playoff series since 2008. “Thank God we get to take this back to the crib. It’s gonna be loud in Detroit, and we got to finish our business,” said Cunningham, who scored 19 in the fourth quarter.
– ‘Glory’ – The Cleveland Cavaliers also failed to put their series to bed Friday, losing in overtime to the Raptors who squared the playoff 3-3. Playing at home, Toronto led for most of the night, by as many as 15 points, before the Cavaliers powered back in the fourth quarter to set up an intense finish. Leading by two points with less than a minute remaining, Toronto handed Cleveland a final lifeline with a shot-clock violation. Evan Mobley forced his way through the Raptors’ defense to tie up the game 104-104, and Toronto’s Jamal Shead just missed a return shot at the end of regulation.
In overtime, Cleveland nudged in front with a Donovan Mitchell driving layup, and led by two points until the game’s final seconds. But RJ Barrett’s three-pointer jump shot bounced off the heel of the rim, looped up in the air and dropped through the net to seal the Toronto win. “Glory be to God, man. I didn’t make anything in the fourth quarter, overtime, I was playing bad… thank God I was able to make that shot,” said Barrett. Game seven will be played in Cleveland on Sunday.
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