Pistons fight back from 17 down but fall to Magic in Game 3

Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News on Apr 25, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Duncan Robinson opened the third quarter with a 3-point field goal and was fouled by Desmond Bane. It was a much-needed four-point swing for the Detroit Pistons, who entered the halftime break down 61-54 to the Orlando Magic.

His basket gave the Pistons hope they would repeat their third-quarter dominance from Wednesday night, when the Pistons embarked on a 30-3 run to take a 98-83 Game 2 victory.

However, the Pistons' deficit ballooned to 17 with 6:08 remaining before they stormed back to take a 105-104 lead. Detroit had all the momentum, but following back-to-back baskets by Magic forward Franz Wagner (17 points), the Pistons lost their advantage down the stretch, which resulted in a 113-105 Game 3 loss, Saturday afternoon inside Kia Center.

The Pistons trail the Magic, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series.

Guard Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 27 points and nine assists. Tobias Harris added 23 points in the loss. Ausar Thompson had one of his best all-around performances of the season with 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocks.

From flagrant fouls to unfavorable calls made by the officials, the Pistons faced multiple challenges in Game 3. One of their major blunders occurred on defense.

They allowed Bane to find a rhythm, leading the Magic with 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting from behind the arc. Through the first two games, Bane was averaging 14.5 points while shooting 29.0% from the field and 20.0% from beyond the arc. With Bane leading the way, the Magic excelled from long range, shooting 45.0% and making 15 3-pointers. Bane was one of two players who hit multiple 3-pointers, while Jalen Suggs contributed 15 points, shooting 3 for 8 from beyond the arc.

Suggs scored 12 points in the second quarter. The Pistons' defense allowed the Magic to tie their highest scoring quarter of the series with 35 points. Paolo Banchero finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds.