ORLANDO, Fla. — When Orlando’s Paolo Banchero was asked to describe his team’s second-half meltdown against Detroit on Friday night, the forward kept his explanation brief.
“They went on a pretty big run there,” Banchero explained. “And we didn’t score.”
That simple assessment captured the essence of what became one of the most remarkable playoff turnarounds in recent memory.
Detroit, staring down elimination while trailing by 24 points on the road, mounted an extraordinary rally to defeat Orlando 93-79 in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference opening round matchup. The victory prevented the Pistons from becoming another top seed eliminated by an eighth-seeded opponent.
“We weren’t going to lay down,” declared Pistons guard Cade Cunningham. “For anything.”
The numbers behind this dramatic reversal tell the complete story:
Through the game’s first 25 minutes, Orlando dominated 62-38. However, Detroit completely flipped the script over the final 23 minutes, outscoring the Magic 55-17.
The fourth quarter proved devastating for Orlando, as Detroit outpaced them 31-8 during those crucial 12 minutes.
Orlando’s shooting completely disappeared in the final period, connecting on just one of 20 attempts for a dismal 5% success rate. This marked the poorest shooting performance by any NBA team in any quarter since Washington managed the same percentage against Charlotte on November 25, 2015 — representing the worst such display across the league’s previous 20,238 games.
The Magic’s shooting woes reached historic proportions as they missed 23 consecutive field goal attempts, setting a new record for the longest such streak in any playoff contest during the play-by-play tracking era that began in 1996-97.
Key Orlando players struggled mightily during the drought. Both Banchero and Desmond Bane failed to connect on all six of their attempts, while Jalen Suggs went scoreless on four shots. Eight different Magic players contributed to the missed shot parade, with 13 of those 23 misses coming from beyond the three-point arc.
When Orlando’s shooting struggles began, they held a comfortable 70-54 advantage. By the time they finally made another basket, Detroit had surged ahead 89-75, completing a devastating 35-5 run that lasted 13 minutes and 50 seconds of game time.
Cunningham led Detroit’s second-half surge with seven field goals, while Duncan Robinson contributed four baskets during that span. Remarkably, Cunningham alone outscored the entire Magic roster 24-19 in the second half, while Orlando managed just four team baskets over those final two quarters.
“I mean, we just have amazing spirit and never quit,” said Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “This is a testament to what we’ve built.”
Detroit’s shooting wasn’t spectacular in the comeback, as they connected on 40% of their second-half attempts. However, their defensive intensity and rebounding dominance — they grabbed 35 rebounds compared to Orlando’s 17 in the second half — proved decisive.
Looking ahead to the series-deciding seventh game, Cunningham emphasized the significance of extending their season.
“It keeps us alive. It allows us to fight another day. And now it’s about us going and finishing the job. None of this stuff means anything if we don’t go win Game 7. But we’ll be back at home, we’ll have a lot of energy in there, and these last two games have given us a lot of life,” Cunningham said.
