Cade Cunningham saves Pistons season vs Paolo Banchero, Magic in Game 5

The Detroit Pistons saved their season for one night in front of their home fans against the feisty Orlando Magic . Cade Cunningham bounced back from two rough outings in Orlando to score a Pistons playoff record 45 points, Ausar Thompson stuffed the stat sheet and the Pistons held on for the 116-109 in Game 5 on Wednesday, April 29, in the 2026 NBA playoffs at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Thompson dove on the floor to control a key offensive rebound after a Tobias Harris miss, and Cunningham drilled a pull-up 2-pointer for a 114-109 lead with 31.

3 seconds left. Paolo Banchero nearly led a 17-point comeback for the Magic, and finished with a playoff career-high 45 points on 17-for-31 shooting, including 6-for-11 on 3s. The Pistons trail the first-round series, 3-2.

Game 6 will be Friday night in Orlando ( Prime Video ), where the Magic won twice already in this best-of-seven matchup. The Magic are trying to become the seventh 8-seed to knock out a 1-seed in NBA history , but went just 16-for-30 at the foul line. Cunningham poured in five 3s and shot 13-for-23 overall.

He scored 27 in the first half. Tobias Harris added 23 points for the Pistons. [ Let the Devin Booker to Pistons trade rumors begin ] Thompson twisted his ankle early in the third quarter and missed nearly five minutes, but returned with an extra verve, gobbling rebounds, leading a fastbreak for a Harris dunk and getting three steals in the quarter.