Winners and losers from the Pistons' pivotal Game 5 win over Magic

The tell of the tape from Game 5 were the performances of these two stars.

Apr 29, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles defended by Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) in the second 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

Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons held onto a 116-109 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 5, keeping their season alive. Who were a few winners and losers?! Let's examine!

Winner: Paolo Banchero and Cade Cunningham

I don't think there's any reason to not lump them together, in this instance. Both Banchero and Cunningham were phenomenal, scoring 45 points apiece. Banchero shot 17-of-31 from the floor and 6-of-11 from 3-point range, to go along with nine rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals.

Cunningham shot 13-of-23 in his record-setting performance, including 5-of-8 from distance and 14-of-14 from the free-throw line. Under the game's brightest lights, we saw an epic duel; the only thing that was stopping either was the 0:00 on the final buzzer.

Loser: Magic's free-throw shooting

We'll talk about the Magic's 3-point shooting in a moment. But they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from the free-throw line. Orlando went just 16-for-30 from the charity stripe, an abhorrent mark for the team who led the NBA in free-throw makes and attempts.

Evidently, the Magic's poor free-throw shooting cost them the game. You can't leave 14 ducks on the pond and expect to win -- especially in the playoffs.

Winner: Magic's 3-point shooting

In contrast, the Magic made 17 threes! 17!!!

The bad news is that they still lost despite making 17 triples. That's a threshold they've only reached six times this season; in Games 2 and 4, they combined to make 17 threes, let alone reach that mark alone in a single game.

Their best shooting performance of the series was met with a loss. Aside from Paolo's aforementioned six, Anthony Black made four (made two total over first four games), as did Desmond Bane.

It was good to see the ball go through the nylon, but it was disappointing -- and equally as frustrating -- that it didn't result in a win.

Loser: Wendell Carter Jr.

Game 5 marked the first game of the series that Jalen Duren unequivocally got the best of Carter, who's had an excellent series to date.

Carter finished with nine points, four rebounds and three blocks; Duren had a modest 12 points, nine boards and two blocks. It's not a ridiculous stat line, but the Pistons' fourth-year big limited Carter's impact throughout.

Duren also hauled down five offensive rebounds of his own, giving Carter a taste of his own medicine from what's trended this series. Overall, it was a rock solid game from the Pistons' big, all things considered.