Detroit Pistons beat Orlando Magic 116-109 at home on Wednesday, April 29.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pistons had the better start, winning the first 38-26 to lead by 12 after one. The Magic cut into the deficit with a 34-28 second quarter, though the Pistons still led by 6 at halftime.
The Pistons won the third 23-19 to create some separation, taking a 10-point lead into the fourth. The Magic took the fourth 30-27; the Pistons held on for a 116-109 regulation win.
What decided it
The Pistons grabbed 39% of their own misses, while the Magic recovered 19.5%. The Pistons made 35 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 20 for the Magic. The second chances kept adding up.
At roughly 99 possessions per team, the Pistons produced 117.4 points per 100 possessions to 110.3 for the Magic.
Who made the difference
Cade Cunningham was the game's biggest individual force for DET: 45 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast on 13-23 shooting. His Game Score of 33.8 led everyone. His team was +3 with him on the floor.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 45 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast on 17-31 shooting, good for a 30.9 Game Score.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Pistons about a 73% chance.
Across the last 11 meetings in our records, Orlando Magic lead 7-4.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.