The No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons are still playing after beating the Orlando Magic in Game 5 on Wednesday, April 29.
Now, they have to do it two more times.
The top-seeded Pistons will face the eighth-seeded Magic in Game 6 on the road Friday (7 p.m., Prime Video) after a 116-109 victory at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday. A historic performance from Cade Cunningham – featuring a franchise playoff-record 45 points – helped the Pistons overcome an nearly as dominant performance from Paolo Banchero, who also tallied 45 points.
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Though the Pistons are still on the brink of elimination, Wednesday’s win was their best wire-to-wire performance of the postseason. They never trailed and got strong contributions from Ausar Thompson (six points, 15 rebounds, six assists, five steals and two blocks) and Tobias Harris (23 points). And they still have yet to play their best basketball, according to Cunningham.
“I think there’s still a lot we can learn from tomorrow watching film,” he said Wednesday night. “We still have a higher level of play than we put out there tonight. But tonight was a hard-fought win. It’s not going to be easy, so we’ll take every win we can. There’s still more we can put out there as far as execution and taking care of the ball. Still too many turnovers from me. There’s a lot we can clean up on, and we’ll learn from it tomorrow watching film and come back stronger.”
Harris (left ankle sprain) and Kevin Huerter (left abductor strain) were both listed as questionable on the team’s Thursday afternoon injury report. The Magic are without Franz Wagner (right calf strain) again.
Here are two questions facing the Pistons as they prepare for a pivotal Game 6:
Has J.B. Bickerstaff found an ideal rotation?
Since Game 1, the Pistons’ coach has carefully tweaked and pruned his lineups in search of groups that can score without conceding too many points on the other end. An 11-man rotation has been cut to nine, with Ron Holland spending more time on the bench, along with the injured Huerter. The coaching staff increasingly has leaned on veteran Caris LeVert, among other role adjustments.
Thompson played more than 36 minutes in Game 5, a substantial boost over the 25 minutes he played in the playoff opener. LeVert and Isaiah Stewart both played postseason highs – of 25 and 20 minutes, respectively – in Game 5. Jalen Duren’s minutes, meanwhile, have been reduced slightly, from 33 in Game 1 to around 28 minutes Wednesday. He’s coming off of one of his better performances of the series, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds (five offensive) and two blocks.
Bickerstaff has continued to lean on Daniss Jenkins for additional ball-handling. The former two-way guard has struggled to hit shots, going 8-for-31 (25.8%). But he also has 10 assists and just one turnover, making him an outlier on a team havig issues taking care of the ball.
Wednesday was the team’s most consistent effort from start to finish. Though no lineup checks every box, LeVert’s offensive versatility and size along the perimeter, along with Stewart’s rim protection, have propped the Pistons up on both ends.
Tobias Harris injury affect on Pistons would be …?
The veteran forward is the team’s second-leading scorer in the postseason, averaging 19.8 points per game on 44.8% overall shooting. Though he’s only 4-for-24 (16.7%) on 3s, his reliable self-creation from midrange has become a crutch for the Pistons’ halfcourt offense. It won’t be easy to replace his production if he sits.
If Huerter returns, he could step into a bigger role. The trade deadline acquisition has only played a small role in the postseason after he found his groove with the team through the last two months of the season. He’s a sharp playmaker, as evidenced by his five assists in 15 minutes in Game 3, and a skilled finisher. And defenses respect his outside jumper, even though it hasn’t fallen with consistency this season.
Pistons vs Magic prediction for Game 6
The Pistons finally showed signs of life after four underwhelming games. At their best, they’ve exceeded Orlando’s level of play. Being able to withstand an outlier offensive performance from the Magic, who knocked down 17 3-pointers in Game 5, bodes well for their ability to grab hold of this series. The pick: Pistons 104, Magic 101.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2 questions Pistons must answer in Game 6, prediction vs Magic
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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