The Orlando Magic continue to be one of the biggest stories of the 2026 National Basketball Association playoffs. On Saturday, the Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons 113-105 in game three of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. With the win, Orlando has the two games to one lead in the best out of seven series.
Why this result is so noteworthy is the fact that the Magic are the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and the Pistons are the first seed. What was equally surprising was the fact that the Pistons were only a 1.5 point favourite in game three despite beating Orlando by 15 points in game two and having 15 more wins than Orlando in the regular season.
All five Magic starters reached double digits in scoring. Shooting guard Desmond Bane of Richmond, Indiana and power forward Paolo Banchero of Seattle, Washington had 25 points each to lead Orlando in scoring. Meanwhile, small forward Franz Wagner of Berlin, Germany had 17 points, point guard Jalen Suggs of St. Paul, Minnesota had 15 points and center Wendell Carter Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia had 14 points.
We also saw impressive rebounding from Carter Jr. and Banchero. Carter Jr. had 17 rebounds and Banchero had 12 rebounds. This was the third most rebounds Carter Jr. has had in a single game. He had 18 boards in a 119-118 Orlando win over the Indiana Pacers on February 2, 2022 and 18 boards in a 122-114 Orlando loss to the Pacers on March 2, 2022.
It was the second quarter which was Orlando’s best. The Magic outscored the Pistons 35-28.
Orlando continues to capitalize most on their opportunities. In game one, the Magic had a shooting percentage of .489, compared to a .403 shooting percentage for Detroit in a 112-101 upset Orlando win. In game three, the Magic has a three point shooting percentage of .455 compared to Detroit’s three point shooting percentage of .344.
