Winners and Losers From Pistons Huge Game 6 Win Over Magic

The Detroit Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic in improbable fashion in Game 6 on Friday night, rallying from a 24-point deficit to win 93-79 to force a Game 7 back in the Motor City on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.

Trailing 60-38 at halftime after scoring a season-low 12 points in the second quarter, many thought the Pistons were left for dead and were about to become just the seventh No. 1 seed to fall in the first round.

The Pistons, however, quickly flipped the switch, outscoring the Magic 55-19 in the second half to stave off elimination for the second consecutive game.

The Pistons are now one win in front of their home crowd away from not only clinching their first NBA playoff series win since 2008, but repeating history from 2003, rallying from a 3-1 series deficit against the Magic as the No. 1 seed in the first round.

Here’s a breakdown of the biggest winners and losers from the Pistons historic comeback win over the Magic in Game 6.

Winner: Cade Cunningham’s Fourth Quarter

Trailing 71-62 at the start of the fourth quarter, Pistons star Cade Cunningham fueled Detroit’s comeback with a phenomenal performance down the stretch. 19 of Cunningham’s 32 points in the game were scored in the fourth quarter.

The fourth-quarter performance for Cunningham came fresh off setting a franchise playoff high of 45 points in the Pistons' 116-109 Game 5 win over the Magic on Wednesday night. What does Cunningham have in store for Game 7?

Loser: Magic’s Scoring Drought

During their historic collapse in the second half, the Magic at one point went 14 consecutive minutes and over an hour of real game time without a basket. It was a frustrating sight for the Magic fans who filed into the Kia Center, making it a hostile environment from the opening tip.

Instead of celebrating a playoff series-clinching win for the first time since 2010, Magic fans left in stunned silence. The Magic’s 19 points were the lowest scored in a playoff game in franchise history.

Winner: Tobias Harris

Throughout his career, Tobias Harris has received criticism for his playoff performances. However, in this year's first-round series for the Pistons, Harris has been a difference maker. Without his contributions, Detroit wouldn’t be heading for a Game 7.

Harris was the second-leading scorer behind Cunningham in Game 6 with 22 points and 10 rebounds. While he didn’t have the most efficient performance from the field, Harris hit key shots down the stretch for the Pistons and had an impact on both ends of the floor.

Loser: Magic Shooting Percentage

The Magic were abysmal shooting from the field, especially in the second half of Friday night’s historic playoff meltdown. Orlando finished the game shooting 35 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range.

After putting together a remarkable 45-point performance on the road in Game 5, Paolo Banchero, despite leading the Magic with 17 points, shot 4-of-20 from the field and went 0-of-9 from three-point range. Most of Banchero’s points came from the free-throw line.

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