Magic grind out another win to push No. 1 Pistons to brinkESPN News ServicesMultiple AuthorsApr 27, 2026, 11:11 PM ET
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Desmond Bane scored 22 points, Franz Wagner had 19 in three quarters and the Orlando Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 94-88 Monday night to take a 3-1 series lead, putting the East’s No. 1 seed on the brink of elimination.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Detroit.
Orlando, which had to win an elimination game at home in the play-in tournament, is on the verge of becoming just the seventh No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 in a series in league history. It has happened only four times since the playoffs were expanded to best-of-seven series for all rounds in 2003.
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Paolo Banchero scored 18 points for the Magic on 4-of-18 shooting. Orlando shot just 32.6%, with Jalen Suggs going 1-for-13, including 1-for-11 from 3-point range.
The Magic overcame their shooting woes by protecting the ball. They had only 12 turnovers to 20 for Detroit.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points, and Tobias Harris had 20.
Wagner left with 1:34 left in the third quarter due to right calf soreness. He is set to undergo an MRI on Tuesday but reported he hopes to play in Game 5.
Jamal Cain replaced Wagner and electrified the crowd with a driving dunk over Caris LeVert early in the fourth quarter. He also had a one-handed tip-in dunk that made it 87-85 with 4:55 to go.
Suggs missed his first eight shots before nailing a 3-pointer from the corner for an 85-80 lead. But Ausar Thompson’s layup tied it before Cain’s putback.
With former Grizzlies teammates Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. cheering him on courtside, Bane banked in a 3-pointer to extend Orlando’s lead to 92-86 with 1:16 remaining.
60-Win Teams Trailing 3-1 in Opening SeriesSeries Result2026Pistons?2011SpursLost in 62007MavericksLost in 6The 45-win Magic haven’t won a playoff series since 2010, when they lost in the Eastern Conference finals. The 37-year-old franchise has never won an NBA title.The Pistons, who won 60 games in the regular season, have an even longer series drought. They haven’t advanced to the second round since losing in the East finals in 2008.The teams traded double-digit leads in the first half, and the Magic led 54-52 going into the third quarter.Riding a wave of energy from a frenzied, blue-clad crowd, the Magic scored the game’s first eight points and led 19-7 before missing 13 straight shots during a 20-5 run by Detroit.The Pistons had a 40-30 lead midway through the second.The Magic improved to 8-1 at home in the playoffs over the past three seasons.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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