At Little Caesars Arena, it was a true playoff game – one of those nights that sticks with you. The Detroit Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic 116-109 in Game 5 and kept the series alive thanks to a wild showdown: Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero each finished with 45 points.
A duel that enters NBA history
This was no ordinary game. Cunningham and Banchero became just the second pair in NBA playoff history to score 45+ points each in the same game. Before them, only Donovan Mitchell (51) and Jamal Murray (50) in the 2020 bubble had done it.
Cunningham reacted to the milestone after the game:
He added:
Cunningham closes it out late
The game heated up in the final minutes when Banchero knocked down a three-pointer to bring Orlando within three with just over a minute left. Detroit wobbled – but then turned to its leader.
Cunningham delivered the defining play: drive, pull-up, and a 16-foot fadeaway with 32 seconds remaining. Bucket. Game over.
Records after records for the Pistons star
With those 45 points, Cunningham made franchise history, passing Dave Bing’s 44-point mark from 1968 for the most points ever scored in a Detroit Pistons playoff game.
And this time, the difference was obvious – especially because the Pistons needed every bit of his offensive firepower to survive Orlando’s comeback push.
Banchero does everything he can (without Wagner)
Orlando arrived in Detroit without Franz Wagnersidelined with a calf injury. So Banchero took the full burden on his shoulders.
His performance was massive: 17-for-31 from the field and 6 made threesthough he’ll also regret some misses at the line, where he went 5-for-12. Orlando as a team missed 14 free throwsa detail that loomed large late.
In the fourth quarter alone, Banchero scored 18 pointsnearly willing the Magic back by himself.
On his duel with Cunningham, he said:
Detroit looks different: more energy, more hunger
Compared with previous games, the Pistons looked like a completely different team – more aggressive, more engaged, more playoff-ready.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff explained it this way:
Bickerstaff: “Until it’s over, we’re alive”
When asked if the team had rediscovered its energy, the coach didn’t hesitate:
Detroit is still standing – alive and fighting with everything it has. The series shifts back to Orlando, and now there’s no room left for calculations: respond or go home.
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