The Detroit Pistons lost 113-105 to the Orlando Magic in Game 3, facing a 2-1 series deficit. Their performance was marred by turnovers, fouls, and a lack of urgency.
ORLANDO â The Detroit Pistons canât get out of their own way.
The self-inflicted mistakes piled up in their 113-105 loss to the Orlando Magic in Game 3 on Saturday, April 25. Too many turnovers and fouls. Not enough offensive rebounds and second efforts. And an overall lack of urgency against a Magic team that, despite being an 8-seed, is proving to be talented enough to upset the top-seeded Pistons.
Now facing a 2-1 series deficit after dropping Game 1 last week, itâs clear the Pistons are dealing with more than just rust. Theyâre disconnected, discombobulated and have yet to resemble a team coming off of a 60-win season, save for a couple of spurts.
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) shoots the ball against the Detroit Pistons in the third quarter during Game 3 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
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Cade Cunningham, who had nine of their 24 turnovers and struggled to hit shots until the fourth quarter, took responsibility for the loss. But they need more from everyone, including All-Star center Jalen Duren.
âMe, Iâll start with me,â Cunningham, who finished with 27 points on 34.8% shooting and nine assists, said in a quiet locker room after the game. âI have the ball most of the time, so just being sharp with the ball. Make sure I set everybody where I need them first. And then obviously theyâre collapsing and stuff. From there, Iâve gotta be sharp with the ball and sharp getting the ball out clean and allow my teammates to make plays.
The Pistons committed too many turnovers and fouls, and failed to secure offensive rebounds.
The Pistons are down 2-1 in the playoff series after losing Game 3.
The Pistons came off a strong regular season with 60 wins.
The Pistons are struggling with team disconnection and have not shown the urgency needed to compete effectively.
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âIt all starts with me, I have to be better about organizing us and making sure weâre getting shots on the rim.â
It took more than three quarters for the Pistons to show up on Saturday. They committed seven turnovers in the opening quarter and gave up three offensive rebounds within the first few minutes. The Magic ended the night with a 14-10 edge on the offensive glass and 19-17 advantage in second chance points. They also scored 24 points off of the Pistonsâ turnovers.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham celebrates a basket with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter during Game 3 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
Other than Ausar Thompson, who had a dazzling performance on both ends â 17 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and two steals â the Pistons have few positives to take from the game.
Their best stretch came in the fourth quarter, after they fell behind 96-79. Cunningham led a late 26-8 run and split a trip at the free throw line to give them the lead briefly, 105-104. It ended up being the Pistons' final point, with 2:52 to play. Franz Wagner answered with a midrange jumper and a 3-pointer, and Paolo Banchero added a dagger 3-pointer that bounced high off of the rim before falling through the net.
It appeared Orlando would run away with the game before the Pistons rallied. Similar to their Game 2 win which featured a 30-3 run in the third quarter, they looked like the better team when they played to their standard. The issue is that, for most of the series, theyâve been far below that standard.
âIntensity,â Thompson said of what they lacked through the first three periods. âI felt like the whole game I felt like we were playing from behind. We let them get the lead to 10 a bunch of times, similar to Game 1. Just having more intensity and not being in catch-up mode.â
It was another anemic effort from Duren, who has struggled through three games. He finished with eight points (on 3-for-10 shooting), nine rebounds and five blocks. The rim protection was improved compared to the first two games. Offensively, though, his presence wasnât felt. Two of his buckets were from alley-oop lobs, and he otherwise was unable to establish his footing in the post and didnât convert looks at the rim that were gimmes during the regular season.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff went with Paul Reed over Duren early in the third quarter after Duren gave up an uncontested dunk to Banchero. That was shortly after he had the ball poked away in the post by Wagner the previous possession. Duren returned to help lead the fourth-quarter push before fouling out with 1:09 to go.
Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) blocks a shot from Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) in the fourth quarter during Game 3 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
Reed, who always plays with urgency, was active and scored two buckets with five rebounds in just seven minutes despite racking up fouls quickly. Duren is averaging nine points on 41.7% shooting through three games â far below his regular average of 19.5 points on 65% shooting.
Beyond the careless mistakes, the Pistons also have had issues sustaining good offense. Without Duren providing scoring as a second option, the offense has been prone to dry spells.
âHeâs confident,â Cuningham said of Duren. âThese last three games havenât been what he wants or what we might want for him. I and the whole team have no doubt heâs going to figure it out and he knows heâs going to figure it out. Excited for the next game for him to plant his foot in this series.â
If thereâs reason to feel encouraged, itâs that the Pistons have kept the margin close in their losses despite their poor play. They have vast room for improvement heading into Game 4, a must-win for a team now fighting to avoid a big upset in the first round.
âItâs one game at a time, and thatâs what playoff series are,â Bickerstaff said. âWe come down here, we win on Monday, we take home court advantage back. Todayâs game, weâll learn from it. But itâs over with and it gives us more opportunities, more film to watch, more time to prepare, to get ready for Monday.
âBut you canât hang onto it and our guys have been consistent all year, that weâve been able to move on from the next. I trust our guys that weâll focus on it, weâll learn from it, weâll study it, weâll get better at it and then Monday, weâll be ready to go.â
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: In playoffs, Detroit Pistons struggle to overcome self-inflicted woes