It was an uprising led by the 8th seed.
The Orlando Magic beat the local Detroit Pistons 112–101 in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA (U.S. professional basketball) Eastern Conference first-round playoffs on the 20th, making a solid start in the best-of-seven series.
Orlando narrowly made it into the “spring basketball” lineup. They placed 8th in the Eastern Conference throughout the regular season. They later solidified their 8th-position status by progressing through the “play-in tournament,” where teams ranked 7th to 10th face off in single-elimination matches to secure the 7th and 8th seeds.
Detroit, in contrast, was a dominant force that claimed the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference with a regular-season winning percentage of 0.732 (60 wins, 22 losses). Nevertheless, they were the first team to be stunned by an upset in these playoffs, losing to a team with a lower seed.
Orlando received well-rounded performances from its starting five: Paolo Banchero (23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists) and Franz Wagner (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) both achieved 16 or more points, 5 or more rebounds, and 4 or more assists. Together, the five starters totaled 92 points, 32 rebounds, 22 assists, and 11 steals.
Detroit, led by Cade Cunningham (39 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), faced a tough setback. Their streak of losing at home in the playoffs now stretches to 11 games. Detroit hasn’t won a playoff game on their home court since they lost Game 6 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, which led to a 2–4 series defeat. Last year, as the sixth seed, they also lost all three of their home games (Games 3, 4, and 6) against the third-seeded New York Knicks, ultimately going down 2–4. Since relocating from the Palace of Auburn Hills—where they played for 29 seasons—to the Little Caesars Arena during the 2017–2018 season, they have lost all six of their home playoff games. Detroit will host Game 2 at the same location on the 23rd, offering an opportunity to end their playoff home curse.
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