Five takeaways from first weekend of 2026 NBA playoffs: Detroit shouldn't panic. Yet.

All eight first-round series are underway, and for the most part, they have gone chalk — the favorites showed why they should be the favorites. However, there were a couple of exceptions, with the biggest one being in Detroit, where the No. 1 seed Pistons got pushed around by the No.

8 seed Magic. We've got questions in Houston, too. Here are five takeaways from the opening weekend of the 2026 NBA playoffs.

Detroit doesn’t need to panic. Yet. Home teams that lose Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoff series tend to bounce back big in Game 2.

That reason alone is why Detroit should not panic. While Game 1 was concerning, there is plenty of time to turn this around — but it has to start with a Game 2 win. The Pistons' success this season was based on Cade Cunningham's shot creation — which they got plenty of with his 39 points, although nobody else stepped up — along with a stout defense and physicality.