Pistons run out of gas in fourth quarter, No. 8-seeded Magic win Game 4 to take 3-1 lead
Carter hits both free throws out of the timeout, then Duren gets called for the moving screen on the other end to make it 20 turnovers for the Pistons tonight. Jenkins gets an open look for three but can’t hit it as it’s under two minutes left. Cunningham drives and gets fouled by Suggs, as he misses the first but makes the second free throw to make it a three-point deficit. Bane pulls up from deep and hits the 3-pointer off the glass and its now 92-86 with 1:16 left as the Magic are closing in on a 3-1 series lead.
Out of the timeout, Thompson drives into traffic and gets blocked, then after Bane misses a layup, Cunningham pulls up for three and comes up short as the Magic call timeout after the rebound with 33.9 seconds left. Thompson gets the steal off the inbound and is fouled, going to the line and missing both free throws. The Pistons still retain possession, but LeVert misses a three and then Stewart commits a loose-ball foul, and that’ll more than do it as the Pistons now find themselves down 3-1 in this first round series.
Pistons inching closer, Magic still hold slim lead, up 87-85 with over three minutes remaining in Game 4
Cunningham goes 1-for-2 from the line out of the timeout as the Pistons’ free throw struggles in the fourth continue, as Harris hits the turnaround jumper and it’s a two-point game again. We’re tied no more, as Thompson lays it in, but Cain skies in uncontested for a putback slam as the Magic retake the lead. After a shot-clock violation with 4:22 left, its 87-85 as Cain draws the offensive foul.
The Magic gets multiple chances to score inside but the Pistons scramble to stop them, then Harris misses a wide-open three leading to LeVert fouling Banchero, but he misses both free throws. Cunningham is short on a floater as Carter is fouled on the rebound, and a timeout is taken with 3:08 remaining.
Cain posterizes Duren for dunk of the night, Pistons trailing, 85-80, halfway through fourth quarter
Robinson can’t hit the three to start the fourth quarter, then Stewart drives and hits the and-one layup with Bane fouling but he misses the free throw. A minute later, a Suggs turnover turns into another and-one bucket, this time from Harris as he makes the free throw. Pistons draw another foul as Jenkins is fouled by Cain, then Banchero hits a layup plus the foul, and on the other end draws the offensive foul on Stewart.
Duren, Cunningham, and Thompson check in as Thompson draws the foul on Carter and goes 2-for-2 from the line. Then Cain goes right by Cunningham, drives and dunks it all over Duren as the Kia Center explodes! Jenkins is fouled and splits his free throws, leading to Banchero making the pull-up jumper over Cunningham. Harris is fouled by Banchero as the Pistons are in the bonus with 7:41 left in this game, and Harris goes 1-for-2 from the line.
Wagner will not return to the game with a calf injury, then Harris hits a midrange jumper and it’s a two-point game again. Not anymore, as Suggs hits his first shot with a corner 3-pointer, but Cain fouls Cunningham off the ball as a timeout is taken with 6:30 left.
Pistons shoot poorly from deep in third quarter, Magic extend lead to six points entering fourth quarter
The challenge by Jamahl Mosley is successful as the Magic keep possession, but they can’t score as Cunningham drives inside and hits the layup, plus the foul. He hits the free throw, then Stewart stonewalls Bitadze inside and draws a foul. Bane then steps back and hits a three over Robinson, and on the other end forces Robinson to commit a traveling violation.
Green fouls Bane as he makes both free throws, then Bitadze swats away Cunningham’s layup and the Magic’s last-second lob pass doesn’t convert as we head to the fourth quarter.
Pistons continue shooting struggles, Magic up, 70-65, with minutes left in third quarter
Duren goes back at Carter and banks home the layup, then Green fouls Carter off the ball as the Magic are in the bonus. Carter goes 2-for-2 from the line, but Green bounces back to hit a corner 3-pointer for Detroit’s first make from deep in the second half. Jamal Cain sneaks in a floater over Cunningham, then Cunningham draws a foul on Black and hits both free throws.
Duren lays it in to make it a two-point game, then fouls Carter on a layup as Carter splits his free throws. Cunningham commits back-to-back turnovers on bad fastbreak pass attempts, leading to a de Silva floater. The Magic call timeout to challenge an out-of-bounds call with 2:45 left in the third quarter.
Pistons start third quarter on cold-shooting stretch, trail Magic, 63-56 in Game 4
Bane starts the second half with a high layup over Duren, then Cunningham pulls up and hits the jumper. Harris misses back-to-back corner threes, with the Pistons going 0-for-4 from deep after Robinson’s miss. Duren swats Wagner’s layup away, leading to a fastbreak layup for Harris. Banchero draws two consecutive shooting fouls, going 3-for-4 from the line.
Duren’s pass to a wide-open Harris goes out of bounds, leading to Robinson’s third foul of the game as Wagner swishes both free throws in. Duren then tries to go at Carter but gets swatted away, then Wagner lobs it up to Carter for the jam as the Pistons call timeout with 7:20 left in the third.
Halftime: No. 8 Magic 54, No. 1 Pistons 52
24 minutes of in-game action in Game 4 has passed, as this back-and-forth game enters halftime with the Magic holding a two-point lead over the Pistons.
Cade Cunningham leads the Pistons with 16 points, despite having six turnovers in the first half. Tobias Harris has 10 points, and Jalen Duren looks back in rhythm with eight points. Despite a sloppy first half with 12 turnovers, the Pistons led for most of the second quarter, shooting 48 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep.
But just like the first three games of this series, Orlando’s kept it close in the first half. They ended the second quarter on a 17-6 run, hitting three 3-pointers in over three minutes to retake the lead . Franz Wagner leads all scorers with 17 points and Desmond Bane isn’t far behind with 12, with Bane continuing his hot 3-point shooting at home as he’s 3-for-4 from deep in the first half.
Orlando answers with scoring run to end second quarter, Pistons trail 54-52 at halftime of Game 4
Pistons win another challenge, but Orlando keeps possession as Bane hits a corner-3 for just their fourth make from deep tonight. After Robinson hits two free throws, Wagner hits back-to-back shots to bring the deficit within two, but Cunningham throws a nice pass to Duren for the layup. Cunningham’s called for his third foul as Banchero goes 2-for-2 from the line, then Bane hits a three as Orlando retakes the lead.
The Kia Center gets loud, then Thompson puts back Jenkins’ miss with a two-handed slam as Jenkins and Bane exchange words after the slam. Wagner hits another 3-pointer, then the Pistons can’t get a shot off to end the half as the Magic close on a 17-6 scoring run to take a two-point halftime lead.
Orlando continues to struggle shooting, Pistons hold 46-39 lead late in second quarter
Orlando’s cold streak ends as de Silva hits the 3-pointer, then we get more tempers flaring as Stewart and Banchero stare each other down after a foul. Carter gets a technical foul as Cunningham sinks the free throw, then Carter tips in a Bane miss for a six-point lead. Banchero misses a three, which leads to Robinson making one in transition.
Wagner makes a layup over Cunningham and Thompson, then fouls Duren as the Pistons center makes both from the charity stripe. Banchero dunks it as Orlando continues to struggle from deep, then Duren turns it over but Cunningham blocks a Jalen Suggs dunk as a foul is called and the Pistons call timeout for another challenge.
Pistons continue to pull away as Magic struggle on offense, Detroit takes 38-30 second-quarter lead
Anthony Black hits a layup to begin the second quarter, then Stewart hits a 3-pointer for his first points today. Stewart goes to the other end and erases a Bane layup, but lands awkwardly and had to be helped up. It doesn’t matter and he gets up for another block, then a few moments later Harris lands hard on a foul by Bitadze.
Bitadze is called for a technical foul as Harris hits the free throw, then Cunningham hits his third 3-pointer tonight as it’s now a six-point lead for Detroit. Orlando can’t buy a bucket, as Cade finds Harris for a huge dunk and the Magic call for time with 7:49 left in the second quarter.
Detroit roars back with huge 22-9 run, now lead by a point as first quarter ends
The Pistons win the challenge and gain possession, as Cunningham is fouled on a drive and goes 2-for-2 at the line. Tristan da Silva gets fouled and splits the free throws, then Cunningham hits another 3-pointer and on the next possession, Duren dunks it home to make it a one-point game. It’s a 14-3 run for Detroit as a timeout is called with 2:22 left. After that quick timeout, Javonte Green dunks it down as the Pistons take their first lead tonight. Caris LeVert swats it away from Bane, then LeVert’s layup is blocked for a goaltend. Stewart gets two blocks in under a minute.
After another timeout by Orlando, a sloppy sequence leads to an and-one layup by Goga Bitadze, as he misses the free throw and somehow, the Pistons exit the first quarter with a lead.
Pistons continue turnover troubles, down 21-14 in first quarter
Out of the timeout and Cade Cunningham is stripped from behind by Wagner, the fourth turnover already for the Pistons. It leads to a foul on Duncan Robinson as Bane hits one of two free throws. Banchero hits two free throws, then the sixth Pistons turnover leads to a Wagner layup and it’s a 17-7 lead for Orlando already. Bane hits a midrange shot, as Cunningham finally ends the run with a 3-pointer but he picks up his second foul while hacking Banchero. He makes both free throws, then Duren hits a midrange jumper for his first points tonight. Harris goes on the fastbreak for a dunk, then Ausar Thompson is called for a foul as J.B. Bickerstaff calls timeout to force a challenge.
Magic start hot again, Pistons down, 12-5, early in first quarter of Game 4
Pistons win the tipoff, but a turnover from Tobias Harris leads to a 3-pointer from Wendell Carter Jr. to start the game. A Desmond Bane three and Franz Wagner layup makes it an 8-0 run for the Magic, but Harris hits the layup plus the foul to put Detroit on the board. He hits the free throw, but Orlando’s up to another hot start with a Paolo Banchero forcing a quick timeout from the Pistons with 9:15 left in this opening quarter.
Starting Lineups
Starters for both teams stay as they have throughout this series.
Preview
The Detroit Pistons find themselves in a must-win situation in Game 4 of this first round series, staying at the Kia Center to face a confident Orlando Magic team and hoping to avoid a disastrous 3-1 series hole.
After a fourth-quarter comeback fell short in their Game 3 loss, the Pistons are trying to stay cool and take it one game at a time. However, the efforts of Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, and Franz Wagner have the Magic two wins away from their first playoff series victory since 2010, putting pressure on the top seed in the East.
Cade Cunningham has done his job, averaging 31 points a game, but Orlando’s defense has forced him to commit an alarming 6.3 turnovers per game so far. Detroit needs to find a way to get Jalen Duren going, as the runner-up for this season’s Most Improved Player award has struggled this series with averages of 9.0 points and 8.3 rebounds.
Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Kameron Goodwill.
NBA Playoffs, first round: No. 8 Magic vs. No. 1 Pistons
Magic lead series, 2-1
Game 1: Magic 112, Pistons 101
Game 2: Pistons 97, Magic 83
Game 3: Magic 113, Pistons 105
Game 4: at Orlando, Monday, 8 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
Game 5: at Detroit, Wednesday, 7 p.m. (Amazon Prime)
x-Game 6: at Orlando, Friday, TBD (TBD)
x-Game 7: at Detroit, Sunday, May 3 TBD (TBD)
x-If necessary
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Recap: Pistons run out of gas in Game 4, on brink of elimination
Reporting by Kameron Goodwill, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
