How the Orlando Magic let Cade Cunningham beat them in Game 5

Paolo Banchero pushed back, but the Pistons pushed the series to Orlando

Apr 29, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles on Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) in the second half uring game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic could not capture the series-clinching victory inside Detroit in Game 5, losing a hard-fought 116-109 battle to the Pistons. What were some of our takeaways?! Let's examine!

Cade Cunningham won the Clash of the Titans:

Apr 29, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles defended by Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) in the second half uring game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

We witnessed the Clash of the Titans in Game 5.

If you were looking for a 10-round heavyweight between the two former No. 1 overall picks, you were watching the right game.

Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero went to war, where both were delivering haymaker after haymaker down the stretch. You couldn't have scripted a better duel. Both players finished with 45 points; Cunningham's were a franchise high in the postseason, while Banchero was one point away from tying Orlando's.

They combined to shoot 30-for-54 from the floor and 11-of-19 from deep. And even those two numbers don't quite do them enough justice.

A missed presence on both ends:

Apr 29, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) walks off the court after the game against the Detroit Pistons during game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

It's been an injury-riddled season for Franz Wagner. The Magic star missed Game 5 with a calf injury, which is defcon 5 in today's NBA, where achilles injuries are, unfortunately, quite apparent.

While the Magic did not lose because of Wagner's absence, per se, his sizable impact was missed on both ends of the floor. Whether it was the team's shot creation, defensive rebounding, defense on Cunningham specifically -- the Magic did scratch-and-claw throughout, but Wagner changes the complextion and sheer outcome on both ends.

We'll see how healthy he is for the rest of the series. But his presence was missed.

Free Throws Weren't Free:

Apr 29, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) dribbles defended by Detroit Pistons guard Javonte Green (31) in the first half during game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The worst part about Paolo Banchero's 45-point spectacle was that he left seven extra points on the board. The 6-foot-10 swingman made just five of his 12 attempts from the charity stripe, as many misses as the Pistons did entirely (28-35) on nearly two dozen more attempts.

His shotmaking was phenomenal ... from the floor. As a team, the Magic barely scraped past the 50 percent mark, shooting 16-of-30. In a game you lose by seven, that number will be highlighted in bright yellow ink.

Magic had best 3-point shooting game of series, but it wasn't enough:

To add insult to injury: The Magic had their best 3-point shooting performance of the series, shooting 17-of-38 from deep. To make matters even worse, teams that made 17 or more threes in a playoff game were 66-17 (.795) over the last five seasons.

In addition to Paolo's six made threes, Desmond Bane and Anthony Black both made four, while Jalen Suggs buried two. Outside of Game 3, Orlando was shooting a dismal 26.7 percent on threes this series ... yet it didn't matter when they had a chance to close it out.

Orlando returns home for their final home game of the series on Friday (Time: TBD).