By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: NBA.com
Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero put on a show on Wednesday night in Detroit. The Pistons survived and live for another day by winning 116-109 over the Orlando Magic.
Cunningham finished with 45 points on 13-23 from the field, along with 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Banchero matched his performance with 45 points, 17 of 31 from the field, 9 rebounds, and seven assists. Their performances bring back memories of Vince Carter against Allen Iverson in the 2001 NBA Playoffs and even Jamal Murray against Donovan Mitchell in 2020.
We love seeing epic duels from two stars in the playoffs. We love seeing this level of competition, especially in an elimination game. Cunningham showed his toughness and resilience in this game. The Pistons are the No. 1 seed in the East. There’s no way he was going to go away quietly. Detroit led by 17 in the second quarter, but the Magic climbed their way back in the game. The Pistons have to be smarter for the next game.
The Magic is a very good defensive team. Grit and discipline have been a big part of their DNA. Game Six will be fascinating to watch.
Tobias Harris added 23 points. He was the second-leading scorer for Detroit. Duncan Robinson added 12 points and made three of his six three-pointers. Jalen Duren added 12 points with nine rebounds. The team shot 49 percent from the field and made 80 percent of their free throws.
Desmond Bane had 18 points for the Magic, 6 of 15 from the field, and went 4 for 10 from downtown. The Magic fell to 0-10 in franchise history on the road in a Game 5.
Orlando will get a second chance to advance at home on Friday night. Magic are hoping to have their forward, Franz Wagner, for Game 6. Wagner was sidelined with a strained right calf. In the first four games of the series, Wagner is averaging nearly 17 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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