Pistons Force Game 7 After Stunning Orlando Comeback
Cunningham drops 32 and 10 as Detroit erases 24-point deficit to even series
Cade Cunningham scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons erased a 24-point deficit and beat the Orlando Magic 93-79 in Game 6, evening the first-round Eastern Conference series at 3-3. Detroit outscored Orlando 55-19 in the second half, turning a blowout loss into one of the more remarkable playoff comebacks in recent memory. Game 7 tips off Sunday at Little Caesars Arena.
Cunningham became the first Pistons player since Isiah Thomas to post at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in an elimination game. He had dropped 45 points in Game 5, meaning he put up consecutive 30-plus performances just to keep Detroit's season alive. The Magic, meanwhile, missed 23 consecutive shots from the field, the most by any team in a playoff game during the play-by-play era.
The stakes for Sunday are as clear as they get. The Pistons (60-22) are trying to reach the conference semifinals for the first time since 2007-08, two years after finishing with the league's worst record. Detroit is 28-15 on the road this season including postseason play, a rotation built for moments like this.
Orlando (45-37) now has to win on the road after gifting the series' momentum entirely to Detroit. The Pistons have home-court advantage, a crowd that watched them climb to the top seed in the East and the hottest player in either dugout. The No. 1 seed avoiding an upset comes down to 48 minutes Sunday night.