Orlando, Fla. — Duncan Robinson (10 points) opened the third quarter with a 3-point field goal and was fouled by Desmond Bane. It was a much-needed four-point swing for the Detroit Pistons, who entered the halftime break down 61-54 to the Orlando Magic.
His basket gave the Pistons hope they would repeat their third-quarter dominance from Wednesday night, when the Pistons embarked on a 30-3 run to take a 98-83 Game 2 victory.
However, the Pistons’ deficit ballooned to 17 with 6:08 remaining before they stormed back to take a 105-104 lead following Cade Cunningham going 1 of 2 from the foul line. Detroit had all the momentum, but following back-to-back baskets by Magic forward Franz Wagner (17 points), the Pistons lost their advantage down the stretch, which resulted in a 113-105 Game 3 loss Saturday afternoon inside Kia Center.
The Pistons trail the Magic, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series.
“I say it over and over again — our defense led the offense,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We got stops, we rebounded the ball, we run. We can have success. We just need to find that more often.”
BOX SCORE: Magic 113, Pistons 105
From flagrant fouls to unfavorable calls by the officials, the Pistons faced multiple challenges in Game 3, which had them playing from behind for much of the game. However, their biggest issue stemmed from their defense.
They allowed Bane to find a rhythm, leading the Magic with 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting from behind the arc. Through the first two games, Bane was averaging 14.5 points while shooting 29.0% from the field and 20.0% from deep.
“We gave him opportunities, and I think that’s where we need to do a better job,” Bickerstaff said. “I thought we did a better job during the first two games of making it more difficult, not giving him just the easy catch and shoots. But today, I felt like he got more of those and was able to find a rhythm.”
With Bane leading the way, the Magic excelled from long range, shooting 45.5% and making 15 3-pointers. He was one of three players who hit multiple triples, while Jalen Suggs contributed 15 points, going 3-for-8 on 3-point shooting.
Suggs scored 12 points in the second quarter, which was when the Magic created most of their separation. The Pistons’ defense allowed the Magic to tie their highest scoring quarter of the series with 35 points. Paolo Banchero also finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds while adding two made triples. He scored 19 points in the second half.
“They made some tough shots,” Cunningham said. “There were a couple of tough bounces for us that put them back ahead. There are a few things that we can do better to make those shots tougher. We did a good job of fighting our way back into that game. Now, it’s about executing all the way to close it out.”
Ausar Thompson delivered an all-around performance, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and three assists. Thompson scored 15 of his points in the first half, during which Magic coach Jamahl Mosley successfully implemented a defensive strategy that limited Cunningham to just eight points on 3 of 10 shooting through the first two quarters.
Cunningham scored 19 points in the second half, bringing his overall total to a team-best 27 points on 8 of 23 shooting. In addition to his shooting struggles, he also accounted for nine of Detroit’s 16 turnovers. The Magic capitalized on the Pistons’ inability to take care of the ball, scoring 24 points off turnovers.
“I have the ball most of the time and need to be sharper with the ball,” Cunningham said. “Make sure I set everybody where I need them. Obviously, they are collapsing. I have to make sure that I am getting the ball out clean and continue to make plays. It all starts with me. I have to be better.”
Tobias Harris scored 23 points and had seven rebounds. Jalen Duren faced another tough game offensively, finishing with eight points on 3-of-10 shooting. His performance was so dreadful that Bickerstaff substituted him out at the start of the third quarter, bringing in Paul Reed. Reed contributed five rebounds and four points in just seven minutes off the bench. Through his struggles, however, Duren did finish with nine rebounds and five blocks.
Observations and notes
No Ron Holland for Pistons: For the second consecutive season, Ron Holland’s playing time in the playoffs has significantly decreased compared to the regular season. In the first two games, he averaged 9.0 minutes on the court but made the most of his limited opportunities. However, in Game 3, Holland did not play at all, marking the first time this season he recorded a DNP (Did Not Play).
Subpar production from the bench unit: In the first three games of this series, the Pistons’ bench unit has performed much worse than during the regular season, where they averaged 41.3 points per game. In Game 3, the bench scored only 20 points for the second time. They are now averaging just 21.0 points across the first three games.
Kevin Huerter injured: Kevin Huerter played 14 minutes in Game 3 before leaving because of a left hip injury. Bickerstaff did not provide an update on his status following the game.
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Pistons’ rally from 17 down falls short in Game 3 loss to Magic
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
