The Detroit Pistons opened the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 112-101 home defeat to the Orlando Magic on Sunday, surrendering control of Game 1 from the opening tip despite a 39-point performance by guard Cade Cunningham.
Detroit entered the postseason as the conference’s No. 1 seed but never held a lead at Little Caesars Arena. “We’re sick about losing this one,” Cunningham told reporters. “It’s a long series.”
The Pistons shot just 40 percent from the field and finished with 31 made baskets. Tobias Harris was the only other Detroit player in double figures, finishing with 17 points on 15 attempts. Center Jalen Duren attempted only four shots and scored eight.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said his team “didn’t come out with the right energy” and spent the night “chasing” Orlando. Each time Detroit mounted a surge—including a Cunningham three-pointer that tied the game midway through the third quarter—the Magic answered. Orlando immediately countered that tie with a 14-3 run and maintained control to the final buzzer.
“They’ve been off and we’ve found a little bit of a rhythm,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said, noting the difference in momentum between the teams.
Bickerstaff added that Orlando’s defense clogged the lane: “They packed the paint. They’re going to put a bunch of bodies in the paint,” a tactic that limited Detroit’s interior opportunities.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Wednesday night in Detroit.
Source: Hoops Wire
