The 2026 NBA Playoffs began on the weekend and there was a stunning upset on Sunday in the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Pistons entered the postseason as the East’s number one seed, but were beaten 112-101 by the Orlando Magic at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
What was stunning about Orlando’s win was the fact they had to go through the play-in tournament just to qualify for the postseason. Orlando qualified by beating the Charlotte Hornets rather convincingly, 121-90.
The Magic entered the game as an 8.5 point underdog. What we saw on Sunday in Detroit, was a team filled with youthful energy against a team that looked rusty because they had not played in a week. That is another negative feature of the play-in tournament. The elite teams during the regular season sit around for a while. Yes, they have an opportunity to be rested, but as a result, sometimes they are not game sharp for when the postseason commences.
In Orlando’s win, the Magic starting five played with complete unity and were all very productive. All five Magic starters reached double digits in points. Power forward and former first overall pick Paolo Banchero of Seattle, Washington had 23 points, small forward Franz Wagner of Berlin, Germany had 19 points, center Wendell Carter Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia and shooting guard Desmond Bane of Richmond, Indiana had 17 points each and point guard Jalen Suggs of St. Paul, Minnesota had 16 points.
Where the Magic also deserved praise was their defensive strategy. They allowed Pistons star Cade Cunningham to do his own thing (scored 39 points) and they focused on the supporting cast, which were not very productive as a whole whatsoever. Game two goes Wednesday night.
Detroit has now lost 11 straight postseason home games. Their last playoff home win was on May 26, 2008 when they beat the Boston Celtics 94-75 in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals.
