Detroit Pistons-Orlando Magic NBA playoff predictions: Expect a physical series

Coty M. Davis, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News predict the outcome of the Detroit Pistons' first-round NBA playoff series.

▶ Coty M. Davis: The first-round series between the Pistons and the Magic is sure to have an old-school vibe. Both teams are among the most physical in the league, able to wear down their opponents with tough defense. However, neither team is particularly good at shooting from behind the arc, so it wouldn't be surprising if this turns out to be the lowest-scoring series of all the first rounds.

The Pistons and Magic split their four regular-season meetings in 2025-26.

The Pistons' bench gives them a major advantage against Orlando, as they finished the regular season averaging 41.3 points. Detroit has a variety of players who can come off the bench and give the Pistons a major boost in any close games, led by Daniss Jenkins, who has averaged 9.3 points on 40.8% shooting from the field and 37.4% from behind the arc this season.

The Magic has one of the most productive starting lineups in the league, especially their frontcourt led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. However, Orlando's second unit is subpar at best. The Magic's bench unit finished the regular season ranked 26th in scoring, averaging 32.6 points per game. Pick: Pistons in 5

▶ John Niyo: These two teams split their regular-season meetings, each winning once on the road. And even though missed , don’t be surprised if this series has a similar throwback feel, with plenty of physical defense, a lurching game flow and way too many whistles. The Pistons will need to stay out of early foul trouble and make their free throws if they want to avoid getting dragged into a lengthy first-round tug-of-war. Detroit also better be ready to match Orlando’s intensity in Game 1, because the Magic are already in playoff mode after playing a couple of play-in games on the road this week.  Still, the Pistons should be able to separate by capitalizing on Orlando’s turnover issues and starting some transition-fueled runs. And so long as they keep from going off, they’ll do something they haven’t done since 2008 — advance.