Paolo Banchero was outdueled by Cade Cunningham in a sensational scoring matchup on Wednesday night. Banchero scored 45 points, a playoff career high, but missed 7 of 12 free throws.
What happened?
The Detroit Pistons held off the Orlando Magic for a 116-109 win in Game 5 of their first-round series, avoiding elimination for at least a couple of days.
Key stats
Cade Cunningham had a franchise playoff-record 45 points, while Banchero fell one point short of equaling the franchise postseason record shared by Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard.
Why it matters for Paolo Banchero
Banchero's performance was notable, but the Magic were out-rebounded by 16 and made just 16 of 30 free throws.
The Magic lead the series 3-2 and will get a second chance to advance at home on Friday night. If the Pistons win their first road game of the series, they will host a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.
What comes next?
Paolo Banchero and the Magic will look to bounce back from the loss and close out the series at home.
Cunningham set a single-game playoff scoring record for Detroit that had stood since Dave Bing had 44 points in 1968.
The Pistons never trailed, going ahead by 17 points in the first half and by 15 early in the fourth quarter.
The Magic pulled within three points on Banchero’s sixth 3-pointer with 1:09 left.
On the ensuing possession, Cunningham made a step-back, 16-foot jumper to help seal it.
“We got to be better on the glass and obviously, better on the free-throw line,” said Banchero.
If the Magic make their free throws, they got a real chance of winning the game, Banchero added.
The Pistons are hoping to bounce back from the brink of elimination as they did against the Magic two-plus decades ago.
Detroit’s comeback in 2003 as a No. 1 seed against eighth-seeded Orlando was the first of seven times NBA teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit this century.
The Nuggets were the last team to pull off the feat six years ago — in the same series that featured Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray each scoring 50-plus points.
Cade Cunningham came through for the Pistons when they needed him, outdueling Paolo Banchero in a sensational scoring matchup of former No. 1 overall picks.
Cunningham was 13 of 23 from the field, made a playoff career-high five 3-pointers, and was 14 of 14 at the line.
“We’re going to see this a long time,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
“He’s going to do a lot of special things,” Bickerstaff added.
The 24-year-old Cunningham came up short in late-game situations with the ball earlier in the series and in last year's first-round series against the New York Knicks, but he was clutch in key moments to extend the matchup with the Magic.
The Pistons will look to build on their win and force a decisive Game 7.
Paolo Banchero and the Magic will look to close out the series at home on Friday night.