Cade Cunningham’s 32 fuels Pistons’ decisive road finish

The Pistons don’t just survive Orlando’s surge — they answer it with the kind of poise that flips a road game from shaky to secure. After the Magic rip open the second quarter with a 24-point lead at one point, Detroit steadies itself behind Cade Cunningham, turns the matchup in the third, and then slams the door with an 18-4 burst in the fourth. By the time the final horn sounds, the Pistons have walked out of Orlando with a 93-79 win that feels less like a close escape and more like a controlled takeover.

The first quarter is tight, physical, and full of lead changes, with Orlando and Detroit trading runs and neither side finding much separation. But the game tilts hard in the second. Orlando strings together an 11-0 spurt, capped when Jalen Suggs buries a 28-foot pullup three, and another 11-0 run follows soon after. Desmond Bane gets loose on a driving reverse layup off a Paolo Banchero assist, the Magic stretch the margin to 62-38, and the building starts to feel like it’s ready to run away from Detroit. The home side’s biggest lead reaches 24, and for a stretch it looks like Orlando has all the momentum.

Detroit’s response starts with Cunningham refusing to let the game get out of hand. The third quarter opens with the Pistons gradually cutting into the lead, and then Cunningham’s touch starts to bend the defense. He finishes a 14-point run with a 10-foot driving bank hook, helping trim a 71-54 deficit into something manageable. That sequence matters because it keeps Detroit within striking distance long enough for the pressure to shift back onto Orlando. Tobias Harris quietly does the heavy lifting on the glass and in the midrange, and the Pistons’ defense begins to clutter possessions instead of chasing them.

Then comes the turning point: Detroit’s 18-4 run in the fourth, the one that flips a one-possession game into a statement finish. Harris opens it with an 8-foot turnaround jumper, Cunningham later splashes a 24-foot three at the 4:07 mark to push Detroit in front 83-75, and Ausar Thompson’s defense helps lock everything down. Thompson records his third and fourth blocks in the final minutes, erasing Orlando’s attempts to answer at the rim and on the perimeter. When Duncan Robinson drills a 26-foot pullup three and Paolo Banchero powers in a driving dunk, Detroit never flinches. Harris finishes it with a floating jumper for his 22nd point, and the Pistons are already beyond reach.

Cunningham is the engine all night: 32 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and the shotmaking that steadied Detroit through the middle of the game and powered the closing stretch. Harris adds a double-double with 22 points and 10 boards, giving the Pistons a reliable second scorer and a physical presence in the paint. Banchero posts a double-double for Orlando with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, but the Magic don’t sustain enough offense after that second-quarter explosion. Detroit, meanwhile, finishes the game looking like the more composed team — the one that adjusted, absorbed the punch, and then dictated the last 15 minutes.

For Orlando, this one is a reminder that big leads don’t matter if the offense stalls and the defense can’t hold up when the game tightens. For Detroit, it’s the kind of road win that can carry real weight: a bounce-back performance, a star guard in control, and a closing stretch built on shotmaking and rim protection. If this is the version of Cunningham and the Pistons that shows up consistently, they’re the kind of team nobody wants to see climbing in the standings.