ORLANDO − Oakland University's Jamal Cain and the Orlando Magic have the 60-win Detroit Pistons on the brink of stunning NBA playoff elimination.
Cain, the 27-year-old bench wing from Pontiac who went undrafted after transferring from Marquette to Oakland for the 2021-22 season, threw down an insane poster dunk on Jalen Duren to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, and helped stifle Cade Cunningham while playing in place of the injured Michigan alumnus Franz Wagner (right calf soreness) at Kia Center.
The Magic forced 20 Pistons turnovers, eight from Cade Cunningham, to overcome putrid shooting Monday, April 27, and held the Pistons without a field goal for nearly the final 5:24 to secure a Game 4 win, 94-88, and a 3-1 series lead. Isaiah Stewart's meaningless putback layup with 2 seconds left stopped the drought.
The Pistons would become the seventh 1-seed to lose a playoff series to an 8-seed, and first since 2023 when the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Miami Heat.
[ Pistons on verge of disgracing NBA legacy if they lose to Magic ]
JAMAL CAIN ATTACKS THE RIM AND THROWS IT DOWN💥A BIG-TIME POSTER JAM IN GAME 4! pic.twitter.com/oGxTm1uRpb
Ausar Thompson's tying layup at 85-all with 5:24 was the Pistons' last made basket until Stewart's in the final seconds.
Desmond Bane poured in 22 points for Orlando, including a banked-in 3-pointer near the top of the key for a 92-86 advantage with 76 seconds left.
BANE BANKS-IN THE CLUTCH 3!MAGIC LEAD BY 6 WITH UNDER 30 SECONDS TO PLAY IN GAME 4 🍿 pic.twitter.com/jbnRmBZWJQ
Game 5 is Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit (7 p.m., Prime Video), where the Pistons must win to force a Game 6 on Friday night in Orlando.
This series is eerily similar to the 2003 first-round matchup between the franchises, when the 1-seed Pistons went down 3-1 to the 8-seed Magic with the first four games following the same results as this one. The Pistons went onto win the final three games to advance.
A general view inside the Kia Center before the Orlando Magic host the Detroit Pistons prior to game four of the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II (5) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson (55) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.Detroit Pistons guard Javonte Green (31) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.Detroit Pistons guard Kevin Huerter (27) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.1 / 5Magic try to put Pistons on verge of elimination in Game 4 of NBA playoffsA general view inside the Kia Center before the Orlando Magic host the Detroit Pistons prior to game four of the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.1 / 5Magic try to put Pistons on verge of elimination in Game 4 of NBA playoffsA general view inside the Kia Center before the Orlando Magic host the Detroit Pistons prior to game four of the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.2 / 5Magic try to put Pistons on verge of elimination in Game 4 of NBA playoffsDetroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II (5) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.3 / 5Magic try to put Pistons on verge of elimination in Game 4 of NBA playoffsDetroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson (55) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.4 / 5Magic try to put Pistons on verge of elimination in Game 4 of NBA playoffsDetroit Pistons guard Javonte Green (31) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.5 / 5Magic try to put Pistons on verge of elimination in Game 4 of NBA playoffsDetroit Pistons guard Kevin Huerter (27) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, April 27, 2026.This breaking news story will be updated.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons on brink of elimination after gifting Magic Game 4 win, 94-88