All season, the Detroit Pistons stepped up to the challenge after a poor performance.
They did just that in the biggest game of the season Wednesday, April 22, against the Orlando Magic.
The 1-seed Pistons tied the best-of-seven NBA playoff series with a gutty 98-83 win over the 8-seed Magic in Game 2 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Cade Cunningham poured in a game-high 27 points, and the defense matched Orlando's physicality with seven blocks in the first quarter alone.
The Pistons used a monster 30-3 run, keyed by defense, to break open a tie game at halftime. That turned a 46-all slugfest that looked like a 1990s/early 2000s throwback NBA playoff game into a 76-49 party − and the first-ever playoff win at LCA in its 10-year history, snapping an 0-6 start.
All five Pistons started scored in double figures, and Isaiah Stewart added 10 points off the bench.
Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 19 points, and Paolo Banchero scored 18 points.
The Magic won Game 1 on Sunday night at LCA with a 112-101 upset, never trailing.
Game 3 of the Magic-Pistons playoff series is Saturday (1 p.m., Peacock) in Orlando. Game 4 is Monday night.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesk
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons tie playoff series on monster run to wipe out Magic in Game 2