Orlando takes care of the ball, makes just enough plays to beat Detroit and take 3-1 series lead

At the trade deadline last February, the Detroit Pistons mostly stayed quiet. Trajan Langdon and the front office made a conscious decision not to make a big move; they wanted to see what this group — which finished with the No. 1 seed in the East — could do in the cauldron of the playoffs. They chose not to add any secondary shot creation, no speed, and just a little shooting from Kevin Huerter (sending out Jaden Ivey).

That lack of secondary playmaking and shooting has Detroit on the verge of being knocked out of the playoffs by the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic.

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In a physical, defensive Game 4 on Monday, the Pistons shot just 6-of-30 (20%) from 3-point range and 37.8% overall. And in the face of intense defensive pressure, the Pistons turned the ball over 20 times — eight times by Cade Cunningham, who also shot 7-of-23 on the night. Detroit is just flat-out struggling to score against a quality Orlando defense, they lack shot creators and shooters.

Meanwhile, the Magic were stepping up and making just enough plays.

The result Monday night was a 94-88 Magic win in front of a raucous home crowd, which gives them a commanding 3-1 series lead as everything shifts back to Detroit on Wednesday.

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This has been a defensive series and the Magic were not exactly lighting it up — 32.9% shooting as a team. Yet their stars seemed to grind out ways to score, with Desmond Bane having another strong night with 22 points and shooting 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Paolo Banchero put up 18 points, mostly because he got downhill and got to the free-throw line 13 times.

Franz Wagner added 19 but was out at the end of the game with what the Pistons described as a sore calf. He was replaced by former two-way player Jamal Cain, who was making key shots and defending Cunningham down the stretch.
While the Magic stars are finding ways, the Pistons’ stars are struggling. Cunningham finished with 25 points, but was 3-of-11 from beyond the arc and had the eight turnovers. Jalen Duren finished the night with 12 points and eight assists, making a real impact on the defensive end but not enough on offense. Duncan…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/orlando-takes-care-ball-makes-034549240.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-28 03:45:00

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