Overview
- Orlando led wire to wire in a 112-101 win that opened the first-round series at Little Caesars Arena and put the Magic up 1-0.
- Paolo Banchero posted 23 points and 9 rebounds and Franz Wagner added 19 with 11 in the fourth, and the Magic controlled the paint 54-34.
- Cade Cunningham scored 39 for Detroit, but the Pistons produced only 19 assists and had just one other double-figure scorer.
- Detroit’s offense sputtered with 40% shooting from the field and 31% from three, and the team committed 14 turnovers.
- Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the group looked rusty and not at its defensive best, and the defeat extended an 11-game home playoff skid and was reported as the first opener in the modern play-by-play era where a No. 1 seed never led.