By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
A historic night of shifts in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, as two Eastern Conference series hurtled toward deciding Game 7s.
In a stunning turn of events at Kia Center on Friday, the Orlando Magic missed their second consecutive chance to clinch a second-round berth, falling 93–79 to the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. Despite leading by as many as 24 points early in the second half, they collapsed under an electric rally, allowing the visitors to tie the best-of-seven series at 3–3.
The Magic were once again without German starter Franz Wagner, who sat out his second straight game with a right calf strain, while Jonathan Isaac remained sidelined by a left knee sprain. In their absence, German reserve Tristan da Silva stepped up to finish with ten points and six rebounds, and Georgia’s Goga Bitadze had six points, four rebounds, a block, and an assist for the team coached by Jamahl Mosley. However, German center Moritz Wagner and France’s Noah Penda remained out of the rotation.
Cade Cunningham proved to be the catalyst for Detroit, scoring 32 points to lead a 51–13 second-half run that erased a 62–38 deficit. The defense was suffocating, holding Orlando to a mere 8 points on 1-of-20 shooting in the fourth quarter. This 24-point comeback marked the largest in franchise history and left the Magic as the first team since digital play-by-play tracking began in 1996-97 to lose a home close-out game after leading by such a margin. At one point, Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots from the field as Detroit orchestrated a 35–5 run to force a Game 7 on their home floor at Little Caesars Arena this Sunday.
Meanwhile, at Scotiabank Arena, the Toronto Raptors kept their season alive with a gritty 112–110 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team coached by Serbian Darko Rajakovic tied their series at 3–3 despite missing Brandon Ingram due to right heel inflammation and Immanuel Quickley with a right hamstring strain. Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett carried the scoring load with 25 and 24 points, respectively, with the latter using a crazy bounce to connect a go-ahead three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in the extra period. Austrian starter Jakob Poeltl and Georgian reserve Sandro Mamukelashvili each chipped in two points and four rebounds to the winning effort.
The Raptors let Game 6 slip away after leading by 15 points in the third quarter, eventually settling for a 104-104 tie at the end of regulation before prevailing in the extra period. For the Cavs, German reserve Dennis Schroder struggled from the field, going 0-of-4, but managed to score seven points by hitting 7-of-8 free throws. Dutch player Tristan Enaruna and French center Olivier Sarr remained inactive for Cleveland. The series now returns to Cleveland’s Rocket Arena on Sunday for a winner-take-all Game 7.
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
1. Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 3-3 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113, 88-94, 116-109, 93-79)
2. Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 3-3 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93, 125-120, 110-112)
3. New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 4-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98, 126-97, 140-89)
4. Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-3 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96, 97-113, 93-106)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
5. Winners 1-2
6. New York Knicks – Winner 4
Finals (best-of-seven)
Winners of Semifinals
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
1. Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 4-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109, 131-122)
2. Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 3-2 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108, 96-115, 93-99)
3. Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 2-4 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112, 125-113, 98-110)
4. San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93, 114-95)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder – Winner 2
6. San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves
Finals (best-of-seven)
Winners of Semifinals
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions