Detroit Pistons take on Orlando Magic in opening round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs
- Chas Post
- Apr 19
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 23
The Detroit Pistons will take on the Orlando Magic in the NBA Playoffs opening round at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday! According to FanDuel, the Pistons are 8.5-point favorites over the Magic with the over/under set at 218.5 total points in Game 1.
Detroit finished with an Eastern Conference-best 60-22 record in the regular season, which was the third-best campaign in franchise history. Meanwhile, Orlando went 45-37 and beat the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 in the Play-In Tournament to clinch a playoff spot.
The Pistons are heavy favorites to advance to the second round for the first time since 2008, but the Magic can’t be overlooked. It should be a competitive series between two of the Eastern Conference’s top defenses and a pair of up-and-coming stars.
Both teams are led by former No. 1 overall draft picks in Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (23.9 points and 9.9 assists per game, which ranked second in the NBA this season) and Magic forward Paolo Banchero (22.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game).
Detroit has experienced a historic leap in recent years — suffering one of the worst seasons in NBA history in 2024 to being the No. 1 seed and a legitimate contender now. “I’m excited to get out there, to see the city and how our home games are going to look,” Cunningham told the media in an interview.
Pistons stats leaders
Cade Cunningham: 23.9 points, 9.9 assists
Jalen Duren: 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds
Tobias Harris: 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds
Duncan Robinson: 12.2 points, 2.1 assists
Ausar Thompson: 9.9 points, 2.0 steals
Magic stats leaders
Paolo Banchero: 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds
Franz Wager: 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds
Desmond Bane: 20.1 points, 4.1 assists
Jalen Suggs: 13.8 points, 5.5 assists
Wendell Carter Jr: 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds
First round schedule
Game 1: April 19
Game 2: April 22
Game 3: April 25
Game 4: April 27
Game 5: April 29
Game 6: May 1
Game 7: May 3
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