For the second time in three years, the Orlando Magic are in a winner-take-all Game 7 in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The Magic (3-3) head to Detroit to face the Pistons (3-3) on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena, with the winner advancing to the second round. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
“You’ve got to go get Game 7,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Now you’ve got to do it the hard way. We’ve been in a Game 7 before, and we understand what this looks like on the road – the magnitude of it. We know what we’re capable of doing in this situation, because we obviously got up big on Friday. But you’ve got to wash the loss, learn from it, and then go figure out a way to do it the hard way in Detroit.”
At halftime of Game 6, Orlando looked headed for a series-clinching win with a 22-point lead and strong play on both ends. But the Pistons turned things around in the second half with stifling defense that disrupted the Magic’s offense and forced a decisive seventh game.
“They were just playing more desperate than us,” Magic guard Desmond Bane said. “Playing harder than us. Whether it was offensive rebounds or heating up their pressure to get steals, they really kind of took us out of our stuff and messed with our flow.”
There’s no time for dwelling on the tough loss in the playoffs.
“The series isn’t over,” Magic forward Paolo Banchero said. “They clawed their way to tie it up 3-3. We won a game there to start the series, and we’ve just got to go do it again. We can’t hang our heads. We’ve got to do whatever we have to do to get the win.”
Orlando will play without forward Franz Wagner due to a calf injury, but the approach stays the same: contain Cade Cunningham, force the Pistons into tough midrange shots, protect the paint, rebound strongly, and move the ball well on offense.
“You have to play the full game,” Banchero added. “You have to stay locked in for 48 minutes. You can’t get comfortable at any point, especially on the road. It’s going to be a helluva challenge for the team.”
Quote to note: “We won the first game there, so I have confidence we can win Game 7. You don’t have time to hang your head about this. Obviously, Game 6 was a bad loss. Got to chalk it up. But there’s nothing we can go and do about it at this point.” – Banchero
“I’ve said this about our group, we always respond. We always respond. Throughout the year we’ve responded, and that’s what I know about this group and who they are and what they’re capable of accomplishing, because they’ve always responded when their backs have been against the wall. And a Game 7 is just that.” – Mosley
Key stats: This will be the fifth Game 7 in Magic history. They are 2-2 in those games.
In and out: Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) is doubtful for Orlando, while Franz Wagner (right calf strain) is out. For Detroit, Kevin Huerter (left adductor strain) is questionable.