Pistons top Magic as Cunningham, Banchero each drop 45 - ESPN

DETROIT — Tension began to build at Little Caesars Arena when Paolo Banchero knocked down a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer that made Game 5 between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic a three-point game with just over a minute to go Wednesday night.

After leading by as many as 15 points earlier in the fourth quarter, the Pistons' season was on the line and the Magic were inching closer to eliminating them thanks to 45 points from Banchero.

But Cade Cunningham drove on the right side of the floor and got Desmond Bane sliding backward as he stopped and popped a 16-foot fadeaway with 32 seconds left. Cunningham's basket put the finishing touches on his own 45-point, franchise-record night and kept top-seeded Detroit's season alive with a 116-109 victory.

If Game 4 was a defensive slugfest won by the Magic in Orlando, Florida, Game 5 will be remembered as a classic playoff duel between two of the best young offensive talents in the game. Cunningham and Banchero became just the second set of players with dueling 45-point performances in NBA playoff history, joining Donovan Mitchell (51 points) and Jamal Murray (50 points), who dueled in Game 4 of the 2020 first round between the Jazz and Nuggets in the NBA COVID bubble.

«That's what's up,» Cunningham said when told about him and Banchero joining Murray and Mitchell as the only other two to score that many points in a playoff game against each other. «I'm sure it was a great game. Hope the fans enjoy it, but it was a great win for us.

»… Not everybody is blessed with those types of opportunities to have pressure and things on the line like that. A lot of times I feel undeserving of how great of moments I get to be a part of. Just try to make the most of it."

Cunningham edged Dave