The Detroit Pistons are suddenly in crisis mode just a few weeks after earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
While the Orlando Magic’s Game 1 win in their first-round series may have seemed like a fluke to some, the team has continued to defy expectations, and Detroit now finds itself in a 3-1 hole.
Why Cade Cunningham Isn’t Surprised the Pistons Are Down 3-1 to the Magic
The Pistons thrived during the regular season thanks to their defense, but concerns about their offense beyond Cade Cunningham lingered entering the postseason. Orlando, which finished with 45 wins and barely made the playoffs through the play-in tournament, has exposed those issues over four games.
The Magic matched Detroit’s physicality and outworked them in a 94-88 victory on Monday. Despite shooting just 30-for-92 (32.6%) from the field, Orlando took care of the ball, played strong defense, and dominated the boards.
Cunningham led the Pistons in scoring again with 25 points, but he struggled with efficiency, shooting 7-for-23 (30.4%). He also recorded more turnovers (8) than assists (6).
It marked his third straight playoff game with 7 or more turnovers, giving him 24 over that span, making him only the second player in NBA history with 7 or more turnovers in three consecutive playoff games.
Cade Cunningham in Game 4:
7-23 FG
3-11 3P
8 TurnoversGoing down 3-1 to an 8 seed is embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/MqDTxXdug3
— Land of Lowlights (@LoLowlights) April 28, 2026
When asked if he was shocked about facing elimination, Cunningham said postgame: “Going into it, shocked. But the way that we’ve been playing, that stuff’s not good enough to win games in this league. It’s not shocking that we’re losing games playing like that.”
Turnovers have been a team-wide issue, not just Cunningham’s. The Magic committed only 10 turnovers compared to Detroit’s 20, and yet Cunningham took responsibility.
“Yeah it’s frustrating,” he added. “A lot of it was on myself, I was frustrated with my own play. Having numbers, not making plays in transition. Things like that, the things I do best, just not being able to make plays for my team.”
Cunningham has been the engine of Detroit’s offense all season and will need to perform at a much higher level if the Pistons hope to win the next three games and avoid elimination. Otherwise, the Magic are on the verge of a major upset.
After protecting their home court with back-to-back wins, Orlando now has a chance in Game 5 on Wednesday to become just the seventh No. 8 seed in NBA history to eliminate a No. 1 seed.
The Pistons, meanwhile, face a daunting task and will be looking to become the first 60-win team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win a first-round series.
The San Antonio Spurs in 2011 and the Dallas Mavericks in 2007 faced similar scenarios, but both were eliminated in Game 6.
