The Magic fought to keep their season alive in the 2026 play-in tournament and secured the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a win over the red-hot Hornets in an elimination game.
Orlando's prize as the No. 8 seed was a first-round matchup with Detroit, who were the class of the Eastern Conference all season long and won 60 games behind All-Star guard Cade Cunningham and breakout 22-year-old big man Jalen Duren. It was a shocking turnaround for the Pistons, who won a franchise-worst 14 games just two seasons ago, but Detroit was expected to grow after it made the playoffs last season and took the Knicks to six games in the first round. Now, as the top seed in the East with expectations for the first time, the Pistons have found themselves in a 3–1 hole to the Magic.
