Pushed to brink, 60-win Pistons vow 'to be better'
With another lackluster performance that included 20 turnovers, Detroit, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, lost to the Orlando Magic in Game 4 on Monday night, a result that shoved star Cade Cunningham and the Pistons to the brink of elimination.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- With the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic locked in a grinding defensive duel, Desmond Bane came off a screen and launched a 3 from 29 feet out with seven left on the shot clock and less than 80 seconds left in Game 4.
The ball banked high off the glass and in, giving Orlando a six-point lead. Bane immediately put both his hands together in prayer. The shot was the dagger Orlando needed to beat Detroit 94-88 on Monday night, and push the Pistons to the brink of elimination.
If Detroit is going to save their 60-win season, they'll need some divine help. The eighth-seeded Magic, who have suddenly turned their season around, are up 3-1 in this best-of-7 series and playing with a ton of confidence and physicality.
The Pistons now have to win three straight starting on Wednesday at home in Game 5 in order to advance.
"Too many turnovers bro," said Pistons center Jalen Duren , whose team committed 20 turnovers that led to 23 Magic points. "They are scoring off of our mistakes. The whole series we just been shooting ourselves in the foot. We got to clean that up man.
"I still think we're the better team, top to bottom. But we just got to ... we can't keep digging ourselves in the hole. Then we are fighting ourselves, that team, the refs ... we just got to be better."