Pistons pound Magic in paint to claim win
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) is fouled by Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart (28) while driving to the basket during the second half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoffs series Wednesday in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
DETROIT (AP) — Ben Wallace and Rick Mahorn, like proud uncles, watched the Detroit Pistons pound the Orlando Magic in the paint and meet them at the rim in a 98-83 win that tied their first-round series at a game apiece. “I’m sure they appreciated it,” Pistons power forward Isaiah Stewart said. Wallace, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Mahorn, an enforcer for the Bad Boys, helped the Pistons win a lot of games that looked like Wednesday night’s slugfest. Stewart had two blocks, including one that denied Paolo Banchero a dunk. “I’m willing to lay my body on the line to make those plays for the energy,” Stewart said. Top-seeded Detroit held eighth-seeded Orlando to 33% shooting and season lows in points and field goals. The Pistons forced 19 turnovers and blocked 11 shots. “When we play defense at the level we’re capable of, it triggers everything for us,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We can be an elite defensive team, a disruptive defense. It’s Pistons basketball. That’s what it looks like. “We had one off night and it came at a bad time.” In Game 1, the Pistons had a sluggish start in each half and allowed the Magic to make almost half their shots All five Orlando starters scored at least 16 points in a 112-101 win. The Pistons were the aggressors in Game 2, blocking seven shots in the opening 12 minutes to tie a franchise playoff record for blocks in a quarter. In the third, they went on a 30-3 run and outscored the Magic 38-16. Detroit coasted in the fourth quarter, winning a playoff game for the first time at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons ended an NBA-record, 11-game home losing streak in the playoffs that dates to 2008, when the franchise played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. “Obviously, we’ve heard it,” Tobias Harris said after scoring 16 points, blocking two shots and making two steals. The Magic, a little reluctantly, gave the Pistons some credit for their defense. “They did a heck of a job of reaching, grabbing and holding,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. “They protected that paint and our ability to get downhill.” Jalen Suggs scored 19 and Banchero had 18 for the Magic. They combined to make just 14 of 35 shots. “They met us at the rim a few times, and they brought the intensity on defense,” Banchero said. “But we got good looks, and nobody really had a great night shooting the ball.” THUNDER 120, SUNS 107 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 37 points and nine assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-107 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points in the series-opening win on Sunday, going 5 for 18 from the field. He bounced back in Game 2 with 13-for-25 shooting after being presented the NBA Clutch Player of the Year trophy before the game. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each added 19 points for Oklahoma City, though Williams left the game in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury and did not return. Williams, an All-Star in 2024-25, missed 30 games this season with a right hamstring injury after missing the first 19 games of the season following surgery on his right wrist. Five higher-seeded teams had lost home games in the first week of the playoffs before Wednesday, including the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference, Detroit, Boston and New York, and the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the West, San Antonio and Denver. Oklahoma City avoided that fate by shooting 47.3% from the field and forcing 21 turnovers. Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 30 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Devin Booker scored 22 points and Jalen Green added 21 for Phoenix, which will host Game 3 on Saturday. The Thunder led 65-57 at halftime. Williams made his first six field goals and had 19 points at the break, while Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting. The action picked up early in the second half as Brooks and Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort — both members of Canada’s national team — got double technical fouls after a brief skirmish following a made free throw. Holmgren started the second half hot. He scored eight points in just over four minutes to help the Thunder go up 77-63 and force a Phoenix timeout. Oklahoma City extended the lead to 100-77 at the end of the third quarter. Oklahoma City pushed the lead to 26 points early in the fourth quarter before Phoenix made a final push. Booker made a pull-up jumper and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but he rebounded and made a mid-range jumper to cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 110-97 with five minutes to play. The Suns got no closer than 10 points.