Predicting the Game 7 outcome for Magic vs. Pistons

With their backs against the wall, the Orlando Magic travel to The Motor City once more to take on the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in a do-or-die Game 7 affair. Who will win?! We asked our group of panelists to find out!

Ethan Skolnick: Magic 107, Pistons 102

Why do I have a strange feeling about this? Everything points to the Magic falling on their faces in Game 7, not being able to remotely recover from that second-half debacle on Friday night. But.... this isn't a Magic team that was supposed to win this series.

Orlando has been playing with house money to an extent since it started and, while the Magic's offensive flaws have been occasionally (and in the case of the second half of Game 6, dramatically) exposed, the Pistons really haven't been all that exceptional for a top seed. Yes, Detroit stiffened on defense in the second half, but a lot of the mess was of Orlando's making; count all the open shots the Magic mangled. It says here that Jalen Suggs can't be so pitiful again (we hope not) and that Jalen Duren won't ever really show up in this series.

Can the Magic steal this? Simply by playing defense, the team as a whole showed in the first half of Game 6, and not being quite as anemic. It would help if Paolo Banchero gets in the paint, and Desmond Bane plays smarter. Let's say it happens.

Amir Motameni: Pistons 102, Magic 98

I’m rolling with the Detroit Pistons to finish the job and complete the comeback after being down 3-1.

This series has completely flipped. What started as a dominant stretch from the Orlando Magic has turned into a momentum avalanche for Detroit. The Pistons have all the emotional momentum.

They’ve already proven they can beat Orlando multiple times in a row, and that psychological edge matters in a win-or-go-home environment.

Major Passons: Pistons 105, Magic 102

There is nothing better in the NBA than Game 7. It matters not how you win, you just have to win. Defense typically has a big part of these games and that gives the Magic a good chance.

The problem is that they have given me no reason to believe they are ready for the moment. The Pistons take it in a close game off the back of Cade Cunningham.

Matt Hanifan: Pistons 95, Magic 87

The two-best words in sports are "Game 7," except those were the two words Orlando would've wanted to avoid four days. Alas, we're now here.

Magic must control the glass, be the more physical team for a full 48 and steal easy points in transition, which it didn't do in Game 6. However, I'm not sure how they bounce back emotionally after their Game 6 meltdown. So I think the Pistons eventually squeak this out.

Mateo Mayorga: Pistons 111, Magic 93

The mental edge has flipped to Detroit after that collapse that felt similar to watching the Clippers lose Game 7 in the bubble in 2020. The Magic have a habit of getting satisfied with themselves when ahead, which is problematic.

On top of that, the Pistons have been the superior team at handling adversity. Maybe the collapse is being way too heavily against them, but Orlando looked like a team that couldn’t pull the trigger. Some of that will stick with them in game seven, and they’ll lose.

Tony Mejia's Best Prop Pick: Jalen Duren o22.5 PR

Jalen Duren has had a horrible series, picking up five or more fouls in four straight games to compound his issues since he hasn't managed more than a dozen points or double-digit rebounds in any of these matchups vs. Orlando after averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, landing an Eastern Conference All-Star spot.

His number for points + rebounds has been reduced to 22.5, so we'll expect him to rebounds, literally, in a winner-take-all game at home.

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