Pistons finish comeback from 3-1 deficit to Orlando
Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris, right, high-fives head coach J.B. Bickerstaff as Harris leaves late in the fourth quarter of a win over the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of their first-round NBA playoff series Sunday in Detroit. (AP photo)
DETROIT — Cade Cunningham had 32 points and 12 assists, Tobias Harris added 30 points and the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 116-94 in Game 7 on Sunday to win a playoff series for the first time in 18 years.
Cunningham averaged 32.4 points for Detroit, which last won a postseason series by beating Orlando in the second round in 2008. The Pistons advance to play Cleveland, which like the Pistons won a Game 7 on Sunday night over the Toronto Raptors. Game 1 will be played tonight at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
“We were pushed to the limit,” Cunningham said. “And it made us really reflect on how we were playing, what got us to this position and what made us win as many games as we won in the regular season. And it got us back to playing the basketball that we knew we were capable of.”
The Pistons became the 15th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and the second in two nights, follwoing the Philadelphia 76ers’ comeback that eliminated Boston.
“I mean, it’s expected,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of his team’s resiliency. “And that’s the amount of belief that we have in this group. This is a special group. And you can’t count us out. No matter the circumstances, no matter the situation, I like our chances to fight our way back.”
They trailed by 24 points in Game 6 in Orlando before rallying to take the series at home. Orlando only scored 113 points in the final six quarters of the series — an average of 18.8 per period.
Cunningham and Harris became the first Pistons teammates to score 30 points in a playoff game since Bob Lanier (33) and Howard Porter (30) against the Golden State Warriors on April 17, 1977.
“We really bonded this season,” Cunningham said. “This group is super tight. We think we can do anything. We’ve had our backs against the wall at times in the regular season, but we stuck together and we found our way out of it.”
Paolo Banchero scored 38 for the Magic.
Each team needed a second scoring option in Game 7. Cunningham had carried the Pistons while Banchero was Orlando’s only weapon after Franz Wagner was injured in Game 4.
Harris filled that role for Detroit, but Orlando only had one other player reach double figures in the first three quarters, as Desmond Bane had 10.
“We just couldn’t find the basket,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “We were playing well on defense, but we couldn’t put the ball in the hole.”
The Pistons also got a big game from All-Star center Jalen Duren. He was outplayed by Wendell Carter Jr. in the first six games, but put up his first double-double of the series with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
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