How Ausar Thompson and Cade Cunningham won Game 5 for Pistons

There's a boring reason for why the Detroit Pistons are still alive in the NBA playoffs. It's not the only reason, as star Cade Cunningham's playoff franchise record in scoring helped propel the Pistons to a Game 5 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, April 29, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Forward Ausar Thompson also had an outsized role as his 15 rebounds came one board away from a career high.

But maybe the biggest reason the Pistons are heading to Orlando is because of the free-throw line. Specifically, what the Pistons did while there and what the Magic couldn't. The Pistons drew a series-high 26 team fouls from the Magic on Wednesday for 35 free-throw attempts.

The Pistons did their job shooting 80% from the line, adding 28 points to their tally in a game they won by just seven. In contrast, the Magic attempted 30 free throws, their fewest since Game 1. Orlando made just 16, marking its worst game by free-throw shooting percentage (53.

3%) of the season. It would be reductive to say the Pistons won entirely because of these two stats. But they are indicative of how the Pistons got back to playing the style of basketball fans at Little Caesars Arena are used to, and how that style was able to overcome an all-time offensive performance from Orlando forward Paolo Banchero (a playoff career-high 45 points), and a stunning 3-point shooting night from the typically poor-shooting Magic (17-for-38, 44.