Imagine trying to explain this to a friend who doesn’t really watch the NBA.
The No. 8 seed Magic led the No. 1 Pistons 60-38 in a playoff elimination game at home with a 3-2 series lead.
On the brink of becoming the seventh No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in NBA history, the Pistons mounted a furious, defensive-minded comeback, outscoring the Magic 55-19 in the second half in front of their home crowd.
Orlando, despite its 22-point halftime lead, lost the game 93-79.
The Pistons outscored the Magic 31-8 in the fourth quarter, where Orlando shot 1-for-20 from the field and 0-for-10 from deep.
Detroit’s star player, Cade Cunningham, finished with the same number of points in just the fourth quarter (19) as Orlando had in the entire second half.
The Magic’s 19 points are the lowest ever for a team in a half during an NBA playoff game.
And during their collapse, the Magic missed 23 consecutive shots, 27 of their final 28 field goal attempts, and 37 of their 41 second-half tries from the floor.
The Pistons’ win forces a Game 7, which will be in Detroit on Sunday.
The Pistons, who trailed 3-1 entering Game 5, haven’t won a playoff series since 2008, while the Magic haven’t since 2010.
Cunningham, who found his offense late, finished the memorable evening with a game-high 32 points, along with 10 rebounds.
The winner of the series will face the winner of the Cavaliers and Raptors series in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which will begin this coming week.
Shortly after the Pistons victory, the Raptors outlasted the Cavaliers in overtime behind a game-winning three from RJ Barrett, who channeled Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton with an elevated bounce from back iron to drain the three.
That forced a Game 7 between the Cavaliers and Raptors on Sunday.
