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ORLANDO − A shorthanded Detroit Pistons team rallied but fell short on the road against an Eastern Conference foe fighting for playoff position.
The No. 1 seed Pistons fell to the Orlando Magic, 123-107, on Monday, April 6 to fall to 57-22 overall. The Pistons already have clinched the top record in the conference, while Orlando is in a close Play-In Tournament race with the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets. The Magic could face the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, which begin April 18. Game 1 would likely be April 19.
The Pistons trailed by as many as 26 points but used a 36-14 run to cut it to four with just over four minutes left. However, the Magic shut the door with a 12-0 run to push their lead back to double digits, 121-105, with two minutes left.
The Pistons have three games remaining and return to action Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks in their home finale in Detroit.
Cade Cunningham (left lung pneumothorax) and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain) remained out for the Pistons. Tobias Harris (left knee contusion), Duncan Robinson (left hip strain) and Caris LeVert (bilateral knee injury management) also missed the game. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff went with a two-big starting lineup including Jalen Duren and Paul Reed, Ausar Thompson, Kevin Huerter and Daniss Jenkins.
Duren scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Jenkins also scored 18 points with seven assists. Huerter (17 points, five assists) and Javonte Green (17 points, seven rebounds) also reached double figures.
Paolo Banchero led all scorers with 31 points for Orlando, and Desmond Bane added 25 points as the Magic played without Franz Wagner on the second night of a back-to-back.
ANALYSIS: Pistons' 1-seed shows incredible consistency 2 years after 14-win joke
The Pistons took the lead briefly early in the second quarter, 31-30, before the Magic used a 29-14 run to pull away. They committed 12 turnovers in the first half for 20 points for Orlando, and didn't have an answer for Banchero, the 2022 No. 1 pick who scored 21 of his 31 points by halftime on 7-for-9 shooting.
The Magic led by as many as 26 in the third quarter, with a pair of free throws from Michigan State alumnus Jase Richardson extending the score to 95-69 with 1:10 remaining in the period. But the Pistons rallied with a 17-3 run and opened the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run to cut it to 98-86.
The run continued for the Pistons, outscoring Orlando 24-11 in the fourth after a 3-pointer and fastbreak dunk by Huerter, courtesy of a touchdown pass from Duren, cut it to 109-100 at the 5:26 mark. Thompson cut it to seven with a layup, and a corner 3-pointer by Jenkins slashed Orlando's lead to 109-105 with 4:07 to play.
Banchero snapped the run with a pair of free throws, and a 3-pointer by Tristan da Silva extended the lead back to nine. The Pistons didn't score again until a tip-in by Reed with 1:31 to play, which cut the deficit to 121-107.
Duren and Thompson have played 68 and 70 games this season, respectively, yet are still short of the NBA's 65-game rule for awards eligibility. For a game to qualify, the player has to play at least 20 minutes, with two flex games allowed between 15 and 20 minutes.
Duren is at now at 64 games, since he has four games this season where he played fewer than 15 minutes. Thompson has nine games under 20 minutes, and two of them count towards eligibility, bringing him to 63 games toward awards eligibility. With three games remaining on the schedule, they both should cross the 65-game mark.
They may be the Pistons' lone representatives during awards season now that Cunningham is guaranteed to be ineligible for awards, though the Pistons remain hopeful he will return before the playoffs.
Duren has played himself into All-NBA consideration, averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds since All-Star weekend to help the Pistons clinch the top seed in the conference. And Thompson should receive substantial votes for All-Defense as the best player on the second-best team on that end of the floor.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said pregame Monday he hoped Cunningham and Stewart could play at least one regular-season game before the playoffs begin in less than two weeks. Cunningham has missed 11 straight and Stewart has missed 13.
Both players were upgraded to "doubtful" before the game for the first time since their respective injuries, before they were ruled out before tipoff.
“There’s no way to replicate what a game is other than playing the game," Bickerstaff said. "... especially ramping up to the intensity of playoff basketball, it would be beneficial for the guys and the group.”
The team announced last Thursday that Cunningham would be reevaluated in one week as he "continues to progress in his return to play process."
Watch the most recent episode of our podcast, "The Pistons Pulse,” streamed live weekly on the Detroit Free Press YouTube channel or listen wherever you get podcasts.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons rally falls short in 123-107 loss to Orlando Magic
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The No. 1 seed Pistons fell to the Orlando Magic, 123-107, on Monday, April 6 to fall to 57-22 overall. The Pistons already have clinched the top record in the conference, while Orlando is in a close Play-In Tournament race with the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets. The Magic could face the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, which begin April 18. Game 1 would likely be April 19.
The Pistons trailed by as many as 26 points but used a 36-14 run to cut it to four with just over four minutes left. However, the Magic shut the door with a 12-0 run to push their lead back to double digits, 121-105, with two minutes left.
The Pistons have three games remaining and return to action Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks in their home finale in Detroit.
Cade Cunningham (left lung pneumothorax) and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain) remained out for the Pistons. Tobias Harris (left knee contusion), Duncan Robinson (left hip strain) and Caris LeVert (bilateral knee injury management) also missed the game. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff went with a two-big starting lineup including Jalen Duren and Paul Reed, Ausar Thompson, Kevin Huerter and Daniss Jenkins.
Duren scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Jenkins also scored 18 points with seven assists. Huerter (17 points, five assists) and Javonte Green (17 points, seven rebounds) also reached double figures.
Paolo Banchero led all scorers with 31 points for Orlando, and Desmond Bane added 25 points as the Magic played without Franz Wagner on the second night of a back-to-back.
ANALYSIS: Pistons' 1-seed shows incredible consistency 2 years after 14-win joke
Pistons torched by Paolo Banchero
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The Pistons took the lead briefly early in the second quarter, 31-30, before the Magic used a 29-14 run to pull away. They committed 12 turnovers in the first half for 20 points for Orlando, and didn't have an answer for Banchero, the 2022 No. 1 pick who scored 21 of his 31 points by halftime on 7-for-9 shooting.
The Magic led by as many as 26 in the third quarter, with a pair of free throws from Michigan State alumnus Jase Richardson extending the score to 95-69 with 1:10 remaining in the period. But the Pistons rallied with a 17-3 run and opened the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run to cut it to 98-86.
The run continued for the Pistons, outscoring Orlando 24-11 in the fourth after a 3-pointer and fastbreak dunk by Huerter, courtesy of a touchdown pass from Duren, cut it to 109-100 at the 5:26 mark. Thompson cut it to seven with a layup, and a corner 3-pointer by Jenkins slashed Orlando's lead to 109-105 with 4:07 to play.
Banchero snapped the run with a pair of free throws, and a 3-pointer by Tristan da Silva extended the lead back to nine. The Pistons didn't score again until a tip-in by Reed with 1:31 to play, which cut the deficit to 121-107.
Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson on cusp of awards eligibility
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Duren and Thompson have played 68 and 70 games this season, respectively, yet are still short of the NBA's 65-game rule for awards eligibility. For a game to qualify, the player has to play at least 20 minutes, with two flex games allowed between 15 and 20 minutes.
Duren is at now at 64 games, since he has four games this season where he played fewer than 15 minutes. Thompson has nine games under 20 minutes, and two of them count towards eligibility, bringing him to 63 games toward awards eligibility. With three games remaining on the schedule, they both should cross the 65-game mark.
They may be the Pistons' lone representatives during awards season now that Cunningham is guaranteed to be ineligible for awards, though the Pistons remain hopeful he will return before the playoffs.
Duren has played himself into All-NBA consideration, averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds since All-Star weekend to help the Pistons clinch the top seed in the conference. And Thompson should receive substantial votes for All-Defense as the best player on the second-best team on that end of the floor.
Cade Cunningham injury update
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said pregame Monday he hoped Cunningham and Stewart could play at least one regular-season game before the playoffs begin in less than two weeks. Cunningham has missed 11 straight and Stewart has missed 13.
Both players were upgraded to "doubtful" before the game for the first time since their respective injuries, before they were ruled out before tipoff.
“There’s no way to replicate what a game is other than playing the game," Bickerstaff said. "... especially ramping up to the intensity of playoff basketball, it would be beneficial for the guys and the group.”
The team announced last Thursday that Cunningham would be reevaluated in one week as he "continues to progress in his return to play process."
Watch the most recent episode of our podcast, "The Pistons Pulse,” streamed live weekly on the Detroit Free Press YouTube channel or listen wherever you get podcasts.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons rally falls short in 123-107 loss to Orlando Magic
Continue reading...
