Detroit Pistons know they need return of identity for Game 3 vs Magic
It took six quarters before the Detroit Pistons found their groove in the 2026 NBA playoffs, with a breakout 3rd quarter vs the Magic on Wednesday.
ORLANDO — It took six quarters before the Detroit Pistons found their groove in the 2026 NBA playoffs. Once they did, though, it affirmed that their key to success is to do what they did for 82 regular-season games. The formula in the second half of their Game 2 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, April 22, was a familiar one.
They turned up the defensive intensity, opening the third quarter with a suffocating 30-3 run that turned a game tied at 46 into a blowout. Magic turnovers became Pistons points, and they found their offensive groove by generating fastbreak opportunities. A once-stagnant game suddenly resembled a track meet.
It was in stark contrast to the Pistons' Game 1 loss, when the top-seeded Pistons didn't look like a team coming off a 60-win season. They did in the back half of Wednesday's win, giving the team a blueprint to follow in Orlando on Saturday (1 p. m.
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