Magic can eliminate Pistons at home; Franz Wagner ruled out for Game 6

“We could have been more locked in on the small details, knowing they were going to come out desperate because (the series) was 3-1,” Magic guard Anthony Black said. “I think we’ve just got to come out desperate as well back at home.”

Added Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. in the locker room: “It was all self-inflicted. It was nothing that they did that caused us to lose that game. So, we’re confident going back to the crib.”

Despite those “self-inflicted” factors, the Magic still had a chance to win the game late, largely due to the shot-making of Banchero, who knocked down six 3-pointers to record a playoff career-high 45 points.

Pistons star Cade Cunningham, however, met the moment with 45 points of his own, a Detroit franchise record for points in a postseason game. He surpassed Dave Bing’s 44 points on April 1, 1968 vs. Boston.

Banchero’s final triple pulled the Magic within three points at the 1:09 mark of the fourth quarter, but Cunningham’s 16-foot jumper made it a two-possession game again with 32 seconds left.

The duel represented just the second time in league history that two opposing players each scored 45-plus points in a playoff game. The first such instance came in 2020 between Jamal Murray (50 points) and Donovan Mitchell (51) during a first-round series between the Nuggets and Jazz.

Despite the high scoring mark, Orlando fell to 1-6 in the playoffs when Banchero notches 30-plus points. In comparison, the Magic are 4-2 when Banchero scores between 20-29 points, but only 2-2 when he fails to reach 20.

Had he not scored more than half of Orlando’s points in the fourth quarter (18 of 30), however, the Pistons likely would’ve run away with the contest.

“He’s elite,” Magic guard Jalen Suggs said about Banchero. “He’s had some special ones in the regular season, but every time this time of year rolls around, you just see how it turns him up, what it does to him as a player.

“Good to be around him,” Suggs added. “It’s a pleasure. I love competing with him because he’s a dawg. And he brings it out in me (and I) try to do my best to help bring it out of him as well. He’s a great player and (Wednesday) was no different.”

Thanks to Banchero, the Magic actually outscored the Pistons 30-27 across the final 12 minutes.

Orlando just dug itself in too deep of a hole against a 60-win team that didn’t want to see its season come to a close early.

“I thought their resiliency was great,” Mosley said about his group. “It was a nine-point game, 10 point game, goes to 17 at one point, and you don’t rattle. We go in at halftime down six and we had missed nine free throws at that point and gave up 10 offensive rebounds at that point. … If you say that you’re going to be in that situation on the road, would you take it? Yes.

“But that’s not what we need to be doing,” he added. “We need to start taking care of the things that we can, which is knocking down our free throws, boxing guys out, coming up with the 50/50 basketballs. And that’s what we’re going to have to do and make sure we take care of home.”

Protecting homecourt will be no easy task for Orlando, given Detroit is determined to force a Game 7 on Sunday back at Little Caesars Arena.

Teams that lead a best-of-seven series 3-2 go onto win the series 84% of the time, according to the NBA. Home teams, however, win Game 7 of a best-of-seven series 74.2% of the time.

In addition to Wagner being ruled out Thursday afternoon, Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) was listed as doubtful on the team’s initial injury report. For the Pistons, Tobias Harris (left ankle sprain) and Kevin Huerter (left adductor strain) are both questionable.

The Magic know what’s at stake even though their season wouldn’t end with a loss Friday, unlike Detroit’s season.

“We saw how desperate they were. We should be just as desperate, if not more,” Carter said. “We don’t want to come back (to Detroit).”