Game 7 has arrived. And it will be glorious.
The Pistons and Magic have been locked in a fiercely competitive first-round series. No. 8 seed Orlando seemed fated to pull off the rare upset of the No. 1 seed in the first round after going up 3–1 in the series, but Detroit battled valiantly to pull out a pair of hard-earned wins in Game 5 and 6 to stay alive and force a Game 7. Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero have put up some tremendous performances as the stars that lead their respective rosters; they’ll both have to dig deep Sunday if they want to fight another day.
The finale of what has been the most back-and-forth series in the first round tipped off on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Pistons took advantage of a rocking home crowd and scored 60 points in the first half to take an 11-point lead into halftime. Tobias Harris was the hero of the first half with 19 points and everything on the line.
Detroit pulled away even further in the third quarter. Despite a rally by Banchero to keep the Magic in it, the Pistons finished the frame strong and enter the fourth quarter up by 19, 84–63.
If they can hold on for 12 minutes, the No. 1 seed will be moving on. But Orlando might have something to say about that.
Pistons vs. Magic Game 7 live updates
How we got here ...
The Pistons were the best team in the East all season long and finished as one of three teams to clear the 60-win mark, an extraordinarily impressive achievement for a franchise that hasn’t enjoyed a lot of good basketball in the last 15 or so years. But the roster’s offensive weaknesses were exposed immediately come playoff time after the Magic earned the No. 8 seed with a play-in win; they dared anybody other than Cunningham on the Pistons’ roster to beat them and for the first four games of the series that proved a winning strategy.
But Detroit refused to roll over. Cunningham set a franchise record with 45 points to win Game 5 and the Pistons roared back from 22 points down in Game 6 as Orlando’s own offensive ineptitude caused an epic collapse. Nobody knows how Game 7 will look on the court, but we do know that it’s going to be fun to watch. This whole series has been.
From a game-by-game breakdown, here’s how we got here—and we can’t wait to see how it all wraps up.
- Game 1: Magic 112, Pistons 101
- Game 2: Pistons 98, Magic 83
- Game 3: Magic 113, Pistons 105
- Game 4: Magic 94, Pistons 88
- Game 5: Pistons 116, Magic 109
- Game 6: Pistons 93, Magic 79
More NBA playoffs on Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
- Joel Embiid Has One Direct Request for 76ers Fans Ahead of Series vs. Knicks
- Celtics Offseason Preview: How Boston Can Bounce Back After Shocking First-Round Exit to 76ers
- Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Raptors vs. Cavs, Desmond Bane, Magic-Pistons)
- Jaylen Brown Calls Out ‘Flopping’ Joel Embiid After Celtics’ Season Ends in Brutal Elimination
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pistons vs. Magic Game 7 Live Updates: Orlando Must Rally in Fourth Quarter As Detroit Goes Up Big .
