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Jamal Cain, former Marquette player, made a spectacular dunk in the Orlando Magic's 94-88 victory over the Detroit Pistons, giving the Magic a 3-1 series lead in the NBA playoffs. Cain contributed eight points in 24 minutes while defending Detroit's Cade Cunningham.
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Ex-MU player Cain throws down audacious dunk as Magic near NBA upset
Jamal Cain, who spent four years playing basketball at Marquette University, generated one of the highlights of the NBA playoffs when he threw down an eye-opening dunk April 27 in the Orlando Magic's 94-88 win over visiting Detroit.
Cain finished with eight points in 24 minutes for Orlando but also drew a tough defensive assignment on Detroit star Cade Cunningham as the Magic, seeded eighth, took a 3-1 series lead over the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
No. 8 seeds have only beaten No. 1 seeds four times since the current playoff format was instituted in 2003, and local fans will remember the last one. The Miami Heat defeated the hobbled Milwaukee Bucks in 2023, en route to the NBA Finals, and Cain played 18 games for that Heat team in the regular season after getting his foot in the door with an Exhibit 10 contract.
The 76ers defeated the Bulls in 2012, the Grizzlies got the best of the Spurs in 2011 and the Warriors shocked the Mavericks in 2007. The in 1999, led by Milwaukee native Latrell Sprewell, upset the Heat in a best-of-five format en route to their own Finals appearance, and the beat the Sonics in five games in 1994.
Jamal Cain scored eight points in 24 minutes and made a notable dunk while defending Cade Cunningham.
The Magic's 3-1 lead is significant as only four No. 8 seeds have defeated No. 1 seeds since the current playoff format began in 2003.
Jamal Cain played four years at Marquette University and had a brief stint with the Miami Heat before joining the Orlando Magic.
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Cain's driving dunk over Detroit's Jalen Duren came midway through the fourth quarter after the Pistons had pulled back to within two points and sent the Kia Center into a frenzy.
It's Cain's fourth NBA season and first with Orlando after two years with Miami and one with New Orleans. He played in a career-best 40 games, averaging 5.4 points per game. Late in the season, Cain found a role as an energizer off the bench for Magic coach Jamahl Mosely, who was born and raised in Milwaukee.
Originally from the Detroit area, Cain spent four seasons at Marquette, capped with the 2020-21 season, when he averaged 9.6 points per game. He transferred to Oakland University for his final college season and averaged 19.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, earning Horizon League co-Player of the Year.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-MU player Cain throws down audacious dunk as Magic near NBA upset