DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MARCH 31: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons looks on and smiles against the Toronto Raptors during the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Game one of the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic playoff series didn’t go how many expected. Despite being the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, Detroit was taken down by Orlando.
With this being a bit of a shock, it’s raised the question of whether the Pistons are in trouble. Below, we’ll break down game one and answer the question. Can the Detroit Pistons get back into this series?
Game two of the Pistons vs Magic series takes place on April 22nd, but let’s recap game one. The eight seed Magic were able to take down the Pistons, 112-101.
Now, what really makes this interesting is that it’s not as if Cade Cunningham had an off game. Cunningham played great, scoring 39 points while shooting 13 for 27 from the field. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough.
Jalen Duren is going to be a key player in this series, and he didn’t provide the scoring production Detroit needed. Despite making a significant leap from 11.8 PPG in 2024-25 to 19.5 in 2025-26, Duren only had eight points in game one.
It’s not as if Duren was missing opportunities, as he went three for four. Duren simply needs to get more shots in order help out Cunningham.
Outside of Tobias Harris, who went five for 15 from the field to put up 17 points, not a single other Pistons player had over 10 points. In the playoffs, it’s tough to win a game like that.
On the other hand, the Magic simply played well across the board. They were pretty much the opposite of Detroit, with every one of their starters scoring at least 16 points.
Paolo Banchero led the way with 23 points, as the Magic showed they can win without someone scoring 35 plus points.
Going back to Banchero, he had a very good game, which is exactly what the Magic needed. It would be unfair to call this a bad year, but after scoring 25.9 PPG in the 2024-25 season, many expected Banchero to take that leap to becoming a superstar in 2025-2026.
Despite going from 7.5 to 8.4 REB and 4.8 to 5.2 AST, Banchero saw his PPG mark dip from 25.9 to 22.2. The all-star award doesn’t mean everything, but Banchero still has yet to accomplish that feat again.
As a power forward, Banchero isn’t going to be taking a ton of three-point shots each game, but in the modern NBA, being able to shoot regardless of your size matters. Banchero went from 1.9 3P in 2024-25, down to 1.2 this past year.
Seeing Banchero go two for four from three in game one of the playoffs was a great sign for the Magic.
After going through game one, there are a few key takeaways. If the Pistons want to win this series, they need to help out Cunningham offensively. While that’s true for this entire roster, the player that it applies to the most is Duren.
One of the main reasons that Detroit was able to make that massive leap this past year was the improved play of Duren on offense. If they want to keep finding success, Duren and Cunningham need to play like a top duo in the NBA.
To answer the final question, the Pistons can absolutely get back into this series. It wouldn’t make a ton of sense to completely overreact to just one game when the regular season provides a much bigger sample size.
That regular season sample size shows that Duren should have a bounce back game, and the Pistons are still the better team. It’s fair to be concerned to some extent, but the Detroit Pistons can absolutely get back into this playoff series.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com