The Detroit Pistons are halfway to a stunning first-round exit.
On Saturday, the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed Pistons (60-22) dropped Game 3 of their best-of-seven series against the No. 8 Orlando Magic (45-37), 113-105, falling into a 2-1 series hole heading into Game 4, set for Monday in Orlando.
The Magic were led by forward Paolo Banchero and guard Desmond Bane, who both scored 25 points. Banchero nearly had a triple-double, adding 12 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two blocks. Bane made seven of Orlando’s 15 threes while shooting 77.8 percent from beyond the arc.
No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons on the ropes after falling in Game 3 to the Orlando Magic
After responding to a stunning Game 1 home loss with a 98-83 victory on Wednesday, the Pistons appeared to have turned the corner in the first-round series. But Saturday showed vanquishing the Magic won’t be that easy.
Per ESPN, Orlando largely controlled Game 3, leading for 79 percent of the game and by as many as 17 points. During the regular season, the Pistons held opponents to a league-low 34.5 percent from beyond the arc, but the Magic shot 45 percent on three-pointers.
Orlando also got to the line for 33 free-throw attempts, one game after taking 32 shots from the line. The Pistons allowed a league-high 27.2 free-throw attempts per game during the regular season, and the Magic are successfully exploiting that weakness. If they remain hot from deep, Detroit could be in serious trouble.
The 2022-23 Milwaukee Bucks were the most recent No. 1 seed to fall in the first round, losing to the No. 8 Miami Heat in five games. Overall, six No. 8 seeds have toppled a No. 1 in NBA playoffs history.
We aren’t too far off from the seventh.
After back-to-back first-round exits in 2024 and 2025, the Magic boldly traded four first-round draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for Bane, a move that didn’t pay much immediate dividends as Orlando fought through the play-in tournament just to qualify for the series against the Pistons.
The Magic aren’t most No. 8s, just happy to be here. They expect more from themselves, and they’re delivering through three games.
The Pistons have time to change the narrative. With a Game 4 win, the series will be tied 2-2 with two of the final three games in the series in Detroit. But they need urgency on Monday to avoid a 3-1 deficit, which could be too much to overcome.
They also need a better performance from star point guard Cade Cunningham, who finished Saturday’s loss with 27 points on 8-of-23 shooting, nine assists and playoff career-high nine turnovers. Otherwise, it won’t be that surprising when the Pistons head into an early summer vacation.