Cade Cunningham’s three-game scoring surge ends Detroit’s 16-year playoff drought amidst Orlando’s postseason collapse.
If you’re a team that’s up 3-1 in a playoff series during the 2026 postseason, don’t plan on stamping a ticket to the next round too early. The Orlando Magic leaned that the hard way in Game 7.
The Detroit Pistons become the latest team to dismantle a 3-1 series lead and are now in their way to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Going into the 2026 playoffs, NBA teams were 13-288 in series down three games to one. Detroit and the Philadelphia 76ers have now made those teams 2-0 this year.
Despite an early jump out in the lead by the Magic, the Pistons stormed back for three consecutive wins, including a shocking 24-point comeback, and are now set to advance to the second round after a 116-94 Game 7 victory Sunday afternoon.
For more on the Magic’s collapse, here is the game recap from Magic Roundtable writer Dan Strouble.
Cade Cunningham led the way for Detroit, with a 32-point double-double before checking out with 1:33 left in the game. Cunningham had three straight 30-plus point games, the first Pistons player to achieve that scoring streak in the playoffs.
Not far behind him was forward Tobias Harris, who added 30 points of his own.
The Pistons were faced with the potential of an early exit which would have been at the hands of an 8-seed versus 1-seed upset. But the Magic just couldn’t keep pace throughout the final contest, heading into the fourth quarter down 19 points.
The Detroit victory marks the first playoff series victory for the Pistons since the 2008 season, a series wherein they also toppled the Magic.
Detroit will now take on the winner of Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers.