Cade Cunningham leads Pistons past Magic, ties series and ends home playoff skid

Cade Cunningham turned Game 2 into Detroit’s kind of game, and the Pistons turned a 98-83 win into a statement about control. After Orlando’s 112-101 victory in Game 1, Detroit dragged the first-round Eastern Conference series back to 1-1 by slowing the pace at Little Caesars Arena and overwhelming the Magic with a decisive third-quarter burst that broke the game open.

Cunningham finished with 27 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, steering the top-seeded Pistons through the one stretch that mattered most. NBA.com highlighted the third quarter as the swing point, while other recaps described the run as either 30-3 to open the second half or a 38-16 scoring surge in the period. However it is framed, the result was the same: Orlando’s offense was blunted, Detroit found the floor, and the home crowd of 20,062 watched the Pistons seize the matchup’s tempo.

The win carried significance well beyond one night in Detroit. It ended an NBA-record 11-game home playoff losing streak that dated to 2008, a burden that had hung over the franchise through years of postseason frustration. Cunningham also joined Isiah Thomas in franchise history for multiple playoff games with at least 25 points and 10 assists, another marker of how firmly he shaped the result.

The tactical shift from Game 1 was clear. Orlando had won the opener by turning the series into a higher-scoring game and forcing Detroit to chase. In Game 2, the Pistons imposed a different rhythm, one built on defensive pressure, half-court possessions and a sustained run that left the Magic searching for answers. Detroit did not need a track meet. It needed a chokehold, and it got one in the third quarter.

That sets up the decisive chess match for Game 3 on Saturday in Orlando. The Magic must decide whether to restore the faster, freer style that produced 112 points in Game 1, while Detroit will try to prove the Game 2 blueprint travels. If the Pistons can keep Orlando in the half court and keep Cunningham orchestrating, the series shifts in their favor. If the Magic speed it up again at home, the balance of the first round swings right back.