The Orlando Magic watched their second-round hopes take a major hit tonight after a historic 4th quarter collapse saw the Detroit Pistons come back from a 24-point deficit in the second half to force a Game 7 at their home.
At halftime, the Magic had a 60-38 lead as they went into the locker room, and Desmond Bane hit one reverse layup at the start of the second half before the whole team went cold on offense. The Pistons held the Magic to just 11 points in the third quarter as they battled back into the game.
In the fourth quarter, things went from bad to worse for the Magic as they missed 23 consecutive shots (making it the most consecutive shots missed by a team in the playoffs in this century) and managed to go scoreless overall for 45 minutes from 8:46 PM ET to 9:31 PM ET.
The Pistons won the fourth quarter 31-8 and stole Game 6, 93-79, as the Magic’s offense failed to find any flow in the second half and completely collapsed.
The Orlando Magic missed 23 SHOTS IN A ROW and blew a 24-point lead 😭 pic.twitter.com/Zap1CgB8GN
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) May 2, 2026
According to Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, this stretch was not a fault of the Magic but a result of the Pistons’ higher defensive pressure in the second half, which was a reflection of their energy and desperation to avoid going home in the first round.
The main catalyst for the Pistons’ comeback was a solid performance from Cade Cunningham on the offensive end of the floor. The Pistons’ All-Star had 32 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and four steals. He shot 10-23 from the field (43.5 FG%) and 2-4 from beyond the arc (50.0 3P%), and 19 of his 32 points came in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, both Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane struggled tonight to find any rhythm on offense. Banchero had 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals, but he shot poorly, 4-20 from the floor (20.0 FG%), missed all nine of his three-point shot attempts, and had to go to the free-throw line 12 times for nine of his points.
Bane had 17 points as well, but with only three rebounds, one assist, and two steals. He shot 7-18 from the floor (38.9%) and 3-9 from beyond the arc (33.3 3P%).
The Pistons are now headed home to host the Magic for Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday, May 3. The Magic will have to pull off a miracle win on the road while facing a hostile audience in Detroit. Clearly, the Pistons are now the favorites to win this series, especially since a performance like tonight would definitely be a gut-punch for the Magic’s morale on the road.
