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ORLANDO − Oakland University's Jamal Cain and the Orlando Magic have the 60-win Detroit Pistons on the brink of stunning NBA playoff elimination.
Cain, the 27-year-old bench wing from Pontiac who went undrafted after transferring from Marquette to Oakland for the 2021-22 season, threw down an insane poster dunk on Jalen Duren in the fourth quarter, added a putback dunk for the lead later, and helped stifle Cade Cunningham while playing in place of the injured Michigan alumnus Franz Wagner (right calf soreness) at Kia Center.
The Magic forced 20 Pistons turnovers, eight from Cunningham, to overcome putrid shooting Monday, April 27, and held the Pistons without a field goal for more than five minutes down the stretch to secure a Game 4 win, 94-88, and a 3-1 series lead.
The Pistons are one loss from becoming the seventh 1-seed to lose a playoff series to an 8-seed, and first since 2023 when the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Miami Heat.
Cain had eight points and nine rebounds, including three on offense, in 24 minutes.
SHAWN WINDSOR: No doubt any more: Pistons overwhelmed by Magic
Ausar Thompson's tying layup at 85-all with 5:24 was the Pistons' last made basket until Isaiah Stewart's tip-in in the final seconds.
Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists but shot just 7-for-23 (after shooting 8-for-23 in Game 3) and 3-for-11 from 3. He also had eight turnovers, after committing nine in Game 3.
Tobias Harris added 20 points and six rebounds, and Jalen Duren (12 points, eight rebounds) was their only other player to reach double futures.
Down 89-86 with1:35 to go after a split trip at the line by Cunningham, Desmond Bane (22 points) banked-in a 3-pointer, his fifth 3 of th enight, near the top of the key for a 92-86 advantage with 76 seconds left.
The Pistons wouldn't score again until a second left on the clock. Their fate was sealed when Ausar Thompson missed two free throws with roughly 27 seconds to go and a chance to cut it to four.
Game 5 is Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit (7 p.m., Prime Video), where the Pistons must win to force a Game 6 on Friday night in Orlando.
This series is eerily similar to the 2003 first-round matchup between the franchises, when the 1-seed Pistons went down 3-1 to the 8-seed Magic with the first four games following the same results as this one. The Pistons won the final three games to advance.
Here's two takeaways from Game 4:
[ Pistons on verge of disgracing NBA legacy if they lose to Magic ]
The Pistons exited the first quarter with a 27-26 lead – only their fourth time winning a quarter this series. And they did so despite a horrific start.
They committed seven turnovers in the first four minutes of the game, enabling the Magic to get off to an early 17-5 lead. The first three turnovers all resulted from trying to get the ball inside to Duren, with two misplaced entry passes and an offensive foul on Duren for pushing off.
By the time they committed their seventh turnover – a bad pass from Cunningham to Duncan Robinson – they were facing a double-digit deficit. Through three quarters, the Pistons had 16 turnovers to Orlando’s five, with Cunningham accounting for eight. And the Magic had a 23-5 lead in points scored off of turnovers – an 18-point difference in a six-point game.
Despite the turnovers, the Pistons battled. They responded to the early deficit with their best stretch of basketball of the night, a 35-13 run that turned a 12-point deficit into a 40-30 lead, their largest of the game, roughly midway through the second quarter. But they couldn’t sustain momentum, in part because of their ball control issues.
Down 67-65 midway through the third quarter, the Pistons committed back-to-back turnovers with a chance to tie or take the lead. They couldn’t break a full-court press, and then a low pass from Cunningham in transition went in-between Javonte Green’s legs and out of bounds.
With the game tied at 85 with 5:24 to go, they failed to box out Cain for a putback dunk. They had two tough turnovers late in a close game – offensive fouls from Caris LeVert and Duren that helped Orlando stay in control despite missing Wagner (19 points) for the entire fourth quarter.
Beef Stew’s presence was felt the moment he checked into the game late in the first quarter. He sparked the Pistons’ huge run in the first half by blocking three shots within his first four minutes. He had countless other contests that didn’t show up on the stat sheet but prevented Orlando from converting at the rim.
He also provided a counter to Orlando’s paint-packing strategy on defense, knocking down a left-wing 3-pointer in the second quarter. It was only his third 3-point attempt of the series and second make. He didn’t attempt another 3 the rest of the game, however.
With the Pistons now fighting for their lives, coach J.B. Bickerstaff will have to determine how much he can play Stewart in Game 5, and how little he can play Duren if the 22-year-old still isn’t producing to the level needed.
Duren had a solid offensive night (5-for-8 shooting), but had four turnovers and wasn’t able to repeat his success on the defensive end from Game 3, in which he tallied five blocks.
Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons on brink of elimination after gifting Magic Game 4 win, 94-88
Continue reading...
Cain, the 27-year-old bench wing from Pontiac who went undrafted after transferring from Marquette to Oakland for the 2021-22 season, threw down an insane poster dunk on Jalen Duren in the fourth quarter, added a putback dunk for the lead later, and helped stifle Cade Cunningham while playing in place of the injured Michigan alumnus Franz Wagner (right calf soreness) at Kia Center.
The Magic forced 20 Pistons turnovers, eight from Cunningham, to overcome putrid shooting Monday, April 27, and held the Pistons without a field goal for more than five minutes down the stretch to secure a Game 4 win, 94-88, and a 3-1 series lead.
The Pistons are one loss from becoming the seventh 1-seed to lose a playoff series to an 8-seed, and first since 2023 when the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Miami Heat.
Cain had eight points and nine rebounds, including three on offense, in 24 minutes.
SHAWN WINDSOR: No doubt any more: Pistons overwhelmed by Magic
Ausar Thompson's tying layup at 85-all with 5:24 was the Pistons' last made basket until Isaiah Stewart's tip-in in the final seconds.
Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists but shot just 7-for-23 (after shooting 8-for-23 in Game 3) and 3-for-11 from 3. He also had eight turnovers, after committing nine in Game 3.
Tobias Harris added 20 points and six rebounds, and Jalen Duren (12 points, eight rebounds) was their only other player to reach double futures.
Down 89-86 with1:35 to go after a split trip at the line by Cunningham, Desmond Bane (22 points) banked-in a 3-pointer, his fifth 3 of th enight, near the top of the key for a 92-86 advantage with 76 seconds left.
The Pistons wouldn't score again until a second left on the clock. Their fate was sealed when Ausar Thompson missed two free throws with roughly 27 seconds to go and a chance to cut it to four.
Game 5 is Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit (7 p.m., Prime Video), where the Pistons must win to force a Game 6 on Friday night in Orlando.
This series is eerily similar to the 2003 first-round matchup between the franchises, when the 1-seed Pistons went down 3-1 to the 8-seed Magic with the first four games following the same results as this one. The Pistons won the final three games to advance.
Here's two takeaways from Game 4:
[ Pistons on verge of disgracing NBA legacy if they lose to Magic ]
Pistons crushed by turnovers
The Pistons exited the first quarter with a 27-26 lead – only their fourth time winning a quarter this series. And they did so despite a horrific start.
They committed seven turnovers in the first four minutes of the game, enabling the Magic to get off to an early 17-5 lead. The first three turnovers all resulted from trying to get the ball inside to Duren, with two misplaced entry passes and an offensive foul on Duren for pushing off.
By the time they committed their seventh turnover – a bad pass from Cunningham to Duncan Robinson – they were facing a double-digit deficit. Through three quarters, the Pistons had 16 turnovers to Orlando’s five, with Cunningham accounting for eight. And the Magic had a 23-5 lead in points scored off of turnovers – an 18-point difference in a six-point game.
Despite the turnovers, the Pistons battled. They responded to the early deficit with their best stretch of basketball of the night, a 35-13 run that turned a 12-point deficit into a 40-30 lead, their largest of the game, roughly midway through the second quarter. But they couldn’t sustain momentum, in part because of their ball control issues.
Down 67-65 midway through the third quarter, the Pistons committed back-to-back turnovers with a chance to tie or take the lead. They couldn’t break a full-court press, and then a low pass from Cunningham in transition went in-between Javonte Green’s legs and out of bounds.
With the game tied at 85 with 5:24 to go, they failed to box out Cain for a putback dunk. They had two tough turnovers late in a close game – offensive fouls from Caris LeVert and Duren that helped Orlando stay in control despite missing Wagner (19 points) for the entire fourth quarter.
Isaiah Stewart's rim protection
Beef Stew’s presence was felt the moment he checked into the game late in the first quarter. He sparked the Pistons’ huge run in the first half by blocking three shots within his first four minutes. He had countless other contests that didn’t show up on the stat sheet but prevented Orlando from converting at the rim.
He also provided a counter to Orlando’s paint-packing strategy on defense, knocking down a left-wing 3-pointer in the second quarter. It was only his third 3-point attempt of the series and second make. He didn’t attempt another 3 the rest of the game, however.
With the Pistons now fighting for their lives, coach J.B. Bickerstaff will have to determine how much he can play Stewart in Game 5, and how little he can play Duren if the 22-year-old still isn’t producing to the level needed.
Duren had a solid offensive night (5-for-8 shooting), but had four turnovers and wasn’t able to repeat his success on the defensive end from Game 3, in which he tallied five blocks.
Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons on brink of elimination after gifting Magic Game 4 win, 94-88
Continue reading...
