Game 7s have a way of producing unlikely heroes.
Enter Tobias Harris. The Pistons’ veteran wing was solid this season (13.3 points per game) but stepped it up in the playoffs, averaging 20.2 points a night. In Game 7 on Sunday, he found another level. He had 19 points in the first half, including scoring 11 straight in the final 2:30 of the first half, when Detroit took over the game. He would go on to score 30.
“Nobody can say s*** to me about Tobias,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said about a player who has heard his share of criticism over the years. “He’s dependable, reliable, prepared for the moment. He’s a leader, he’s a great teammate, he’s a great human being.
Advertisement
In the third quarter, Cade Cunningham took over and made sure Detroit finished the job, quickly turning an 11-point halftime lead into 20, and Game 7 was never in doubt after that.
Detroit cruised to a 116-94 win, and with that, the No. 1 seed Pistons came back from 3-1 down to win a much tougher series than expected against the Orlando Magic, who pushed them to the brink.
Detroit now advances to the second round for the first time since 2008 and will face the winner of Game 7 between Toronto and Cleveland later on Sunday (on NBC). Orlando heads into an offseason where they will face questions about just how well their stars fit together, whether they have the right coach, and whether they should make sweeping changes or run it back.
Paolo Banchero did everything he could for the Magic, finishing with a game-high 38 points including four 3-pointers. The problem is, all the other Magic combined to shoot 34% for the game and 6-of-23 (26.1%) from beyond the arc. It just wasn’t enough.
Advertisement
Especially with Cunningham making plays on his way to 32 points and 12 assists for the night.
Jalen Duren had his best game of the series with 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Daniss Jenkins had 16 off the bench for the Pistons. For the Magic, Desmond Bade added 16 points.
This game looked like a Game 7 early, with both teams a little tight in the first quarter — except for Banchero, who had the first 11 Orlando points, including going 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Despite that, the Magic shot 8-of-21 (38.1%) in the first, but that was good enough for a 22-20 lead over a Pistons team that was 7-of-20 (35%), including Duncan Robinson starting 1-of-7 from 3-point range, and most of those were quality looks.
Advertisement
In the second quarter that changed, especially for Detroit, which shot 56.5% as a team, knocked down five 3-pointers, and scored 40 in the frame. The Pistons were out and running — Detroit had 12 points off Orlando turnovers in the second quarter, which was aided by Ausar Thompson’s three steals.
The Pistons broke the game open when they closed the first half on a 20-6 run, which included an 11-straight points from Harris (he had 19 for the half), and Detroit led 60-49 at the break despite 23 from Banchero.
Cunningham looked like an All-NBA player in the third quarter and that was it. Game over.
Even if the Pistons had to sweat the first round a lot more than they expected.
#Tobias #Harris #Cade #Cunningham #prove #Orlando #Detroit #wins #Game