DETROIT — The last two trips to the NBA playoffs, the Magic have found themselves searching for the proper adjustments to try to win a game trailing in a series rather than leading from the jump.
Eighth-seeded Orlando enters Wednesday’s Game 2 against the top-seeded Pistons with a 1-0 series lead after it won its first playoff game on the road under coach Jamahl Mosley on Sunday.
“You have to really just focus on what you did well and the things that hurt you,” Mosley said after practice inside Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday. “Because obviously there’s things in the game that you have to adjust to as the game goes on, but it’s also action that you know you need to cover because you saw how it may have hurt you or what they would go to, but you don’t want to over-anticipate.
“You just have to do what you do, and do it well,” he added. “And then as they make adjustments to different lineups, different rotations, that’s where it can be, and you’ve got to adjust to that during the game.”
In this spot for the first time in his career, Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. said he’s talked in the past with players both active and retired who’ve won and lost playoffs series after capturing a 1-0 series lead.
“They always tell you, the first game is never (something) to overreact (to), so it’s a seven-game series for a reason,” Carter said. “It’s always good to steal the first one on the road but there’s nothing to celebrate or be excited about that.
“There’s still more that we can do, more that we can get better at and we’ll get ready for tomorrow,” he added.
One area that Orlando could clean up is taking better care of the ball. The Pistons scored 18 points off 12 Magic turnovers on Sunday, which helped Detroit score 25 fastbreak points as well.
Anticipating Detroit’s adjustments while not over adjusting is also part of the challenge that comes in a playoff series.
One change made by the Pistons could be Ausar Thompson’s defensive assignment. The third-year pro, who finished third in the NBA defensive player of the year award voting on Monday, spent a large chunk of his time in Game 1 defending Magic guard Desmond Bane.
While that slowed down Bane from beyond the arc — Bane only took one 3-pointer when guarded by Thompson, but six 3s when guarded by other Pistons, according to league-tracking data — it led to others scoring for Orlando.
At least two of Bane’s five assists in Game 1 took place with Thompson guarding him and led to points scored near the basket by Carter Jr., who notched 14 of his 17 total points in the paint.
Thompson said Sunday night that Orlando “out-physical’ed” Detroit in the opening game of what was expected to be a physical matchup between two teams that prides themselves on that style of play.
If Detroit does turn up the temperature in Game 2, the Magic welcome it.
“That’s kind of the Orlando Magic I know since I’ve been here,” Carter said. “When we were trying to figure it out, not having winning seasons to where we are now, one thing always stood on was being a great defensive and physical team. So, it’s good to kind of see us regain that culture, especially now when we’re going against a team like this.”
Added Magic guard Jalen Suggs: “We know that they’re going to be ready to play. For us, it’s just doubling down on our principles, on our standards.”
Game 4 on Monday between the Magic and Pistons inside Kia Center will tip-off at 8 p.m., the league announced early Tuesday morning.
The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC and streamed on Peacock. It can also be heard on 96.9 The Game, Orlando’s leading sports radio station.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com