Magic survive a late collapse, rally past Pistons for a 2-1 series lead
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane each scored 25 points, and the Orlando Magic blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead before rallying to beat the Detroit Pistons 113-105 on Saturday for a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Banchero had 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Franz Wagner scored 17 points for Orlando, which got 15 from Jalen Suggs and a 14-point, 17-rebound game from Wendell Carter Jr. Cade Cunningham scored 27 for Detroit, which trailed 96-79 with 8:34 left — then outscored the Magic 26-8 over the next six minutes to grab the lead. But the Pistons, who got 23 points from Tobias Harris, couldn’t hold on.
Game 4 is Monday night in Orlando. It’s the 13th time since 1984, when the NBA went to the 16-team format, that a No. 8 seed has taken a 2-1 lead in a first-round series over a No.
1 seed. Of the previous 12, five finished off the upset. Those teams: Miami in 2023, Philadelphia in 2012, Memphis in 2011, Golden State in 2007 and New York in 1999.
And that doesn’t include Denver’s upset of Seattle in 1994, the first 8-over-1 series win in NBA history. The Magic — who had to win an elimination game at home just over a week ago to escape the play-in tournament — are trying to be the next name on that list. THUNDER 121, SUNS 109 PHOENIX (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points in a brilliant shooting performance, Ajay Mitchell added 15 in place of the injured Jalen Williams and Oklahoma City beat Phoenix to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.