The Detroit Pistons used a comeback story for the ages to clinch their first NBA playoff series win in nearly two decades.
The 1-seed Pistons delivered a dominant performance on both ends Sunday, May 3, in Game 7 at Little Caesars Arena, vanquished the 8-seed Orlando Magic, 116-94, to complete a historic 3-1 series comeback and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 18 years (2008).
Tobias Harris (30 points) scored 11 straight late in the first half to create a cushion, and Cade Cunningham had 32 points and 12 assists. Daniss Jenkins added 16 points off the bench, hitting four of five 3-pointers, including a pull-up buzzer-beater at the top of the key to end the third quarter for an 83-64 lead.
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The 2026 Pistons are the 15th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit. These Pistons repeated the 2003 Pistons’ feat; they also rallied from 3-1 down in the first round to knock out the 8-seed Magic.
The Pistons on Tuesday night in Game 1 will host the winner of 4-seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5-seed Toronto Raptors, who play their own Game 7 in Cleveland on Sunday night (7:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock).
It took a franchise postseason record 45 points from Cunningham in Game 5 and a historic comeback from 24 points in Game 6 to get to Sunday afternoon, the franchise’s first Game 7 in Detroit’s city limits.
And in front of a hungry home crowd, it was never close in the second half.
Ausar Thompson set the tone defensively, as he had all series, with two early blocks on Paolo Banchero and finished with eight points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Banchero led all scorers with 38 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Desmond Bane had 16 points.
The Pistons took control for good with a 31-8 run to close the first half and open the third quarter. Harris was instrumental during the run, scoring 11 consecutive points to turn a game tied at 45 into a nine-point advantage. A pair of free throws by Jalen Duren (15 points, 15 rebounds) with 0.5 seconds left in the second quarter then pushed their lead to 60-49.
They weathered a big first half from Banchero, who poured in 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting and 4-for-6 shooting from 3. Defensively, the Pistons held Orlando to 41.5% shooting and forced 12 turnovers in that span. Magic players not named Banchero were held to 8-for-27 (29.6%).
After closing the first half on a tear, the Pistons opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run to stretch their lead to 71-51, midway through the period.
After a slow start, trailing 22-20 after the first quarter, this was the Pistons’ best offensive performance of the playoffs. They shot 51.2% from the floor and knocked down a series-high 16 of 33 3-pointers (48.5%).
Here are three more takeaways from Pistons vs. Magic Game 7:
Tobias Harris plays closer vs Magic in Game 7
Harris, 33, held his teammates accountable after falling behind in the series 3-1 after Game 4, saying in his press conference they were playing “too casual.” Harris had done his part entering Sunday, averaging 20 points per game as their second-leading scorer. It’s the second-highest playoff average of his 15-year career, and he saved his best performance for Game 7.
The first half saw 11 lead changes and six ties before Harris’ personal 11-2 run late in the second quarter, which sparked a 20-6 run to close out the first half that gave the Pistons the lead for good. After a midrange jumper from Banchero tied it at 45, Harris knocked down a 3-pointer and completed a 3-point play on back-to-back possessions to make it a two-possession game.
Harris followed with a midrange jumper over Jalen Suggs and another 3, before a steal and fastbreak layup by Duncan Robinson extended their lead to double digits for the first time. Harris stayed hot in the second half, hitting another 3-pointer with 7:35 left in the third after a block on Suggs by Cunningham, pushing the lead to 18.
Jalen Duren submits best half of series
From the opening tipoff and onward, Duren looked more like himself than he had at any point during this seven-game series. He was active on the offensive glass, bouncy in the paint and had to be accounted for.
Duren grabbed four offensive rebounds in the first half, including a tip-in for the game’s first points, and snagged a board late in the second quarter that led to an open 3-pointer for Jenkins to tie the game at 43.
On the offensive end, Duren rose above Orlando’s defense to catch a lob from Cunningham and ran down the floor, caught a pass from Jenkins and finished a thunderous one-handed dunk down the middle of the lane, bringing the crowd to its feet midway through the second quarter. He nearly had a double-double by halftime (eight points, eight rebounds) and had his most productive game on the glass, corralling double-digit rebounds for the only time in the series.
J.B. Bickerstaff’s trust in Daniss Jenkins pays off
It has been a whirlwind season for Jenkins, who emerged as a core rotation player early and was promoted from a two-way contract to a standard contract after the trade deadline. He played a key role as the lone true point guard on the roster outside of Cunningham, and that role continued in the postseason.
Jenkins appeared in all seven games, splitting his time alongside Cunningham to relieve ball-handling pressure and manning the point during the rare times Cunningham sat. It had been an up-and-down series for Jenkins, who was shooting 10-for-38 entering Sunday. But Game 7 was his best performance.
This was Jenkins’ only time reaching double figures in scoring (14), and his four made 3-pointers exceeded the three he made entering the game (on 21 attempts) in the first round. He also finished the series with 18 assists and six turnovers, a critical performance with the ball for a team that struggled to take care of it all series.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tobias Harris, Pistons bury Magic in Game 7, 116-94, to complete 3-1 comeback
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
