The Pistons had their backs against the wall Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena. What was an extraordinary regular season with the third-most wins in franchise history was in jeopardy of an unceremonious exit to the eighth-seeded Magic.
Game 5 was a heavyweight bout between two of the NBA's youngest stars, and Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero went blow for blow. The Pistons couldn't see an impeccable season end in five games to an eight seed in front of their home fans—it simply was not acceptable. And while elimination remained a real possibility until the final minute, Cunningham simply didn't allow his team to go out that way.
Cunningham is the straw that stirs the drink for Detroit. The offense relies solely on him. And when it mattered most, with the season on the line, he delivered.
He dropped 45 points—a playoff record for the storied franchise—and drained five three-pointers along with five assists and four rebounds in what was a 116–109 win for Detroit. The Magic stayed in it until the end thanks to Banchero, who matched Cunningham with 45 points of his own in a battle of former No. 1 picks. But it was Cunningham's night, which he sealed with a smooth midrange jumper with 31.3 seconds left to give the Pistons a two-possession lead after a Banchero triple made things too close for comfort.
CADE HAS 45 🚨
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) April 30, 2026
A Detroit Pistons single-game playoff scoring record 👏 pic.twitter.com/Thzc47cmFW
"I have missed too many free throws this series," Cunningham said of the clutch shot postgame via Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. "Definitely had to lock in on that. The shot, I was just thanking the Lord for this day and thankful to have the opportunity to do and make plays on the biggest stage."
Cunningham earned his second All-Star nod this season and inked a five-year, $269 million contract as soon as the Pistons were able to extend him in the 2024 offseason. It hasn't been a pretty series thus far for Detroit, but the franchise's star delivered in the waning moments of a surprising season.
How Cade Cunningham lifted the Pistons to live another day
Not a terrific three-point shooter, Cunningham sank five of his eight three-point attempts on the night and went 13-for-23 from the field plus a perfect 14-for-14 night from the foul line on his way to 45 points.
Behind Cunningham, it was a team effort by the Pistons. Detroit outrebounded Orlando 49–33 and won the offensive rebound battle 16–8. Ausar Thompson was huge in the dominance on the glass with 15 boards and four on the offensive end. Orlando never took a lead, which was in part due to the second-chance opportunities the Pistons created.
Still, Banchero was getting whatever he wanted all night, and the Magic pulled within three points when he scored his 45th point of the game. When the opposing star is having that type of game, you need your star to do everything possible to match that. And when called upon, Cunningham delivered.
While he has struggled with turnovers thus far in the series, Cunningham has also scored at least 25 points in each game and dropped 39 in the Game 1 loss. But the performances that got the Pistons into a 3–1 hole in the series were simply not enough, and Cunningham spoke to his new mindset facing elimination after the game.
"Just a never doubt mentality," he said. "I just wanted to have a controlled aggression all night and make sure they felt me. I don't want the season to end right now so I got to put it all on the line."
Cade after dropping 45:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 30, 2026
"Just wanted to have a controlled aggression all night. I don't want the season to end right now so I gotta put it all on the line" pic.twitter.com/gIkByp1E46
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff shared that sentiment. He wasn't surprised to see Cunningham take over as his team was facing a disappointing end to the season.
"It's him, right? That's the way he is," Bickerstaff said of Cunningham's night via the Detroit Free Press, "He's not a guy who runs around talking a lot. He understands what the moment is, he understands what's in front of us and he wanted to go out and be great."
Now, the Pistons head to Orlando down 3–2 with the opportunity to force a Game 7 back home. Coming back from down 3–1 is a tall task even if Detroit was the better team all season, and a first-round loss in six games would still be a disaster. Even if the Magic have started to click and turn into the team many thought they would be entering the season, if this this young Pistons team that won 60 games this season fails to get out of the first round, it’s a failure, no matter the opponent.
We'll see what Cunningham has to say about that in another game with the season on the line Friday at Kia Center.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Pistons Needed Cade Cunningham to Dominate—He Put Up a Historic Performance to Keep Season Alive.
