After a full week of practice, the Detroit Pistons finally learned their first-round opponent Friday, April 17. There wasn’t much concern over who it might be, though – a privilege afforded to the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference.
The opening round of the playoffs begin this weekend for the Pistons, who will host the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic (45-37) on Sunday (6:30 p.m., NBC). The Magic are one of a handful of teams to either tie or win a season series against the 60-22 Pistons, splitting the series 2-2.
“This week’s been great preparing, cleaning everything up, making sure that we’re ready for whatever comes,” Cade Cunningham said after practice Friday. “Obviously we find out who we play tonight. Preparing all the way around and making sure we’re locked in on doing what we do best.”
Here are three questions that’ll determine which squad advances to the second round for the first time in more than a decade.
What can the Magic get from their top duo?
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner underwhelmed in Orlando’s 109-97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, which allowed the Sixers to clinch the No. 7 seed. Banchero finished with 18 points on 22 shots, with four assists and six turnovers. Wagner, while dealing with a minutes restriction, scored 12 points and dished three assists.
Banchero had a much better game Friday in an elimination setting at home, scoring 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting against favored Charlotte with six dimes and two turnovers.
It’s been a tough season for Wagner, the Michigan alumnus who was limited to 34 games due to injury. An ankle sprain on Dec. 7 caused Wagner to miss the majority of the season, though he returned to play in six of Orlando’s final seven games. The Magic need their stars to step up against a Pistons team that boasted the second-best defense in the league during the regular season.
Will Jalen Duren maintain his dominance?
The first-time All-Star ended the season on a tear, averaging 22.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game on 67.8% overall shooting in the 26 games following his two-game suspension for a melee with the Hornets in February. He’s a key reason the Pistons won 15 of their final 19 games and withstood Cunningham’s collapsed lung, which caused the Pistons’ other All-Star to miss 11 games.
A major reason for the Pistons’ first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks last season was a lack of reliable secondary scoring. Duren has morphed into one of the league’s most dominant interior scorers and has a chance to prove he’s a true star alongside Cunningham.
How will Cade Cunningham look post-injury?
When Cunningham went down with a collapsed left lung on March 17, the Pistons faced the possibility of entering the postseason without their superstar. He ended up returning with less than a week remaining and played 26, 28 and 22 minutes in their final three games. But after missing three weeks, he revealed Friday he isn’t quite 100% yet.
‘I’m getting close but I don’t think I’m back yet,” he said. “Obviously I still have some things that I’m still trying to get back to full speed and just get my rhythm and everything back. I’m getting close. I’m just knocking a little bit of the dust off.”
Cunningham looked like he was still easing back into form when he returned against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 8, averaged 11.3 points, 10.3 assists and five rebounds through his three-game return. With a week of practice in hand, he and the Pistons hope he’ll hit the ground running when they take the floor Sunday.
Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic prediction
The Magic are more than just Banchero and Wagner – Desmond Bane delivered an efficient season averaging more than 20 points and is capable of swinging a playoff game with a big performance. But the Pistons are deeper and have simply been better this season, on both ends. It shouldn’t be a long series. The pick: Pistons in 5.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 questions for Pistons ahead of NBA playoffs vs Magic, prediction
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
