3 Pistons Who Cost Detroit Most in Game 4 Loss

The Detroit Pistons are now on the brink of elimination following their Game 4 loss to the Orlando Magic.

Apr 25, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts to a basket with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Detroit Pistons are on the brink of elimination in the first round of the NBA playoffs, falling 94-88 to the Orlando Magic in Game 4 on Monday night. 

Throughout the first-round series against the Magic, the Pistons have frustrated their fans with their inconsistent offense, slow starts, and turnover struggles as they haven’t looked anything like the team that guided them to a 60-win regular season and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. 

All those struggles were on display in the Game 4 loss to the Magic, and these three Pistons players may have cost Detroit the most as they are now one loss away from becoming just the seventh No. 1 seed to fall in the first round.

Jalen Duren

What has happened to Jalen Duren? That's the question on every Pistons fan's mind. Through four games in the series, Duren’s lackluster play has frustrated Pistons fans the most, and his Game 4 performance was no different. Duren again struggled throughout the game, getting in foul trouble and allowing Wendell Carter Jr. to have his way against him on both ends of the floor. 

Perhaps one of the most frustrating moments of the night, which pretty much summed up his performance in this series against the Magic, was when Jamal Cain scored a highlight-reel dunk on Duren. Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for Duren, that happened. 

JAMAL CAIN ATTACKS THE RIM AND THROWS IT DOWN💥

A BIG-TIME POSTER JAM IN GAME 4! pic.twitter.com/oGxTm1uRpb

— NBA (@NBA) April 28, 2026

Duren finished the loss with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and turned the ball over four times against the Magic. 

Cade Cunningham

While Cade Cunningham led the Pistons in the loss with 25 points, turnovers again were an issue for the Detroit star in Game 4. Cunningham recorded eight turnovers in a game in which Detroit committed 20 total. The Pistons have a combined 36 turnovers in their last two games, one of several reasons they find themselves down 3-1 in the series.

The Magic capitalized on those turnovers, scoring 23 points off of them. In the Pistons' two road playoff games against the Magic, Cunningham has struggled taking care of the basketball, recording a combined 17 turnovers in those contests.

While it's become evident that Cunningham has had no help in the first round series against the Magic, his turnovers have played a role, and that can't be ignored. It was the second consecutive game in which Cunningham had more turnovers than shots made.

Duncan Robinson

While the Magic struggled from three-point range in Game 4, it's the Pistons who had an even worse performance from beyond the arc. The Pistons shot 20 percent from the field and only knocked down six three-pointers in the loss to the Magic. One of their biggest weaknesses throughout the season has caught up to them in the playoffs.

Duncan Robinson, one of the best three-point shooters on the Pistons, struggled in Game 4. Robinson finished the loss with seven points and shot 2-of-8 from the field. His only three-pointer of the game came on a play in which he was wide open after Jalen Suggs lunged forward for a steal, leaving him unguarded. Other than that, Robinson went 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.