What Cade Cunningham learned about Pistons in Game 5 win over Magic
April 30, 2026
Cade Cunningham and the Pistons stayed alive on Wednesday night with a crucial win over the Magic in Game 5.
The Detroit Pistons had their backs against the wall coming into Game 5 against the Orlando Magic after dropping Games 3 and 4 on the road. One more Magic win would lead to one of the most shocking first-round upsets in recent history, but the Pistons had other plans.
Playing in front of their home fans, Detroit was able to hold off a late comeback from the Magic and get a 116-109 win to force a Game 6 on the road. After the game, Pistons star Cade Cunningham talked about what he learned about his team in the clutch victory.
"We're at our best when our backs are against the wall." 💪
Cade Cunningham spoke to @CassidyHubbarth about Detroit's attitude after they forced a Game 6 in Orlando on @primevideo 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/bjQGXOnVhO
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) April 30, 2026
“We've had a lot of adversity throughout this season,” Cunningham said. “We've had a great year so far, we have a lot of dogs on this team. We're at our best when our backs are against the wall. So we know it's gonna be an uphill battle right now. We dug ourselves a big hole, it's gonna be tough for us to climb out of. But we handled business tonight, we've gotta be ready to get back to Orlando. We've gotta get one there.”
Cunningham carried the load once again for a Pistons offense that struggles to score outside of him, as has been the case all season long. He finished with 45 points on 13-for-23 shooting, drilling five 3-pointers and 14 free throws in the process. Turnovers were still a problem, with six on the night, but his scoring output and efficiency has given the Pistons new life in this series.
On the other side, Paolo Banchero matched Cunningham's production with 45 points of his own on 17-for-31 shooting, but a rough 5-for-12 night at the free-throw line ended up costing the Magic in a game that they could have won.
Now, the Magic are heading back home for Game 6 with all of the pressure, ironically, on their shoulders. Orlando is still in the lead in the series and will have two more chances to close out the series, but it only has one more game at home to do so.
Cunningham's epic performance in Game 5 is exactly why that is so scary for the Magic.
Source: clutchpoints.com