Magic fend off top-seeded Pistons to take shock 2-1 series lead in playoffs

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/banchero-paolo/06ii067b/"]Paolo Banchero[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bane-desmond/dCwE0YA5/"]Desmond Bane[/a] top-scored for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/robinson-orlando/nRFCr4U4/"]Orlando[/a] with 25 points apiece as the eighth-seeded Magic pulled off a stirring [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/detroit-pistons-UcjMRj6J/orlando-magic-QZMS36Dn/?mid=tlAnyCa3"]113-105 win in front of their home crowd[/a].[/p][p]Victory had briefly seemed in doubt after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/orlando-magic/QZMS36Dn/"]Orlando[/a]'s 17-point fourth-quarter lead was erased in a powerful late showing by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cunningham-cade/0YleT8PG/"]Cade Cunningham[/a], who led all scorers with 27 points.[/p][p]But having nudged into a single-point lead with three minutes remaining, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/detroit-pistons/UcjMRj6J/"]Detroit[/a] did not score again, and Orlando closed out the win with a 9-0 run.[/p][p]With barely 30 seconds remaining, Banchero's three-point effort bounced off the heel, looped up in the air and dropped straight through the net to seal the win.[/p][p]Banchero added 12 rebounds and nine assists, while Bane matched the Orlando playoff record with seven three-pointers.[/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="947dad3b-f4b0-4e88-8015-df04bf015927" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="bc30694e-3c07-4d3b-960f-f420f99c223a" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][b]"We know how we stack up. We know what we've got in this locker room. And so we don't fear them," [/b]Banchero said.[/p][p]Orlando are the lowest-seeded team in the Eastern Conference playoffs, having barely crept in with a last-gasp play-in win over the Charlotte Hornets.[/p][p]They will have a chance to extend their lead when they host game four on Monday, before the teams travel back to Detroit.[/p][p]The Pistons comfortably topped the East with a 60-22 regular-season record. But they now find themselves needing to win three of the four possible remaining games to avoid elimination.[/p][p][b]"We got a lot of respect. We just want to bring it on Monday,"[/b] said Banchero.[/p][embed guid="4e860730-6c82-487d-bf40-f1e4533285ad" url="https://x.com/OrlandoMagic/status/2048128572229861407" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/basketball/usa/nba/"]Follow the NBA playoffs with Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]