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The Detroit Pistons<\/a> are halfway to a stunning first-round exit.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed Pistons (60-22) dropped Game 3 of their best-of-seven series against the No. 8 Orlando Magic<\/a> (45-37), 113-105, falling into a 2-1 series hole heading into Game 4, set for Monday in Orlando.<\/p>\n The Magic were led by forward Paolo Banchero and guard Desmond Bane, who both scored 25 points. Banchero nearly had a triple-double, adding 12 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two blocks. Bane made seven of Orlando’s 15 threes while shooting 77.8 percent from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n After responding to a stunning Game 1 home loss with a 98-83 victory on Wednesday, the Pistons appeared to have turned the corner in the first-round series. But Saturday showed vanquishing the Magic won’t be that easy.<\/p>\n Per ESPN<\/a>, Orlando largely controlled Game 3, leading for 79 percent of the game and by as many as 17 points. During the regular season, the Pistons held opponents to a league-low 34.5 percent from beyond the arc, but the Magic shot 45 percent on three-pointers.<\/p>\n Orlando also got to the line for 33 free-throw attempts, one game after taking 32 shots from the line. The Pistons allowed a league-high 27.2 free-throw attempts per game during the regular season, and the Magic are successfully exploiting that weakness. If they remain hot from deep, Detroit could be in serious trouble.<\/p>\n The 2022-23 Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> were the most recent No. 1 seed to fall in the first round, losing to the No. 8 Miami Heat<\/a> in five games. Overall, six No. 8 seeds have toppled a No. 1 in NBA playoffs history.<\/p>\n We aren’t too far off from the seventh.\u00a0<\/p>\n After back-to-back first-round exits in 2024 and 2025, the Magic boldly traded four first-round draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for Bane, a move that didn’t pay much immediate dividends as Orlando fought through the play-in tournament just to qualify for the series against the Pistons.<\/p>\n The Magic aren’t most No. 8s, just happy to be here. They expect more from themselves, and they’re delivering through three games.<\/p>\n The Pistons have time to change the narrative. With a Game 4 win, the series will be tied 2-2 with two of the final three games in the series in Detroit. But they need urgency on Monday to avoid a 3-1 deficit, which could be too much to overcome.<\/p>\n They also need a better performance from star point guard Cade Cunningham, who finished Saturday’s loss with 27 points on 8-of-23 shooting, nine assists and playoff career-high nine turnovers. Otherwise, it won’t be that surprising when the Pistons head into an early summer vacation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nNo. 1 seed Detroit Pistons on the ropes after falling in Game 3 to the Orlando Magic<\/h2>\n