Category: Basketball

According to Shams Charania, he expects the Detroit Pistons to go star hunting this season, and that could mean Lauri Markkanen.

Shams Charania expects the Pistons to make moves this off-season

“I do expect them to be star hunting or hunting for that type of player.”

Via @GetUpESPNpic.twitter.com/LUHjGv0sM6

— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) April 28, 2026

So, apparently, the Pistons will look to find players that fit their timeline, and Lauri Markkanen and Trey Murphy III fit the mold.

Here we go again…

Like all the trade rumors we saw before, the Pistons wanting Lauri Markkanen doesn’t mean they can get Lauri Markkanen unless they’re willing to pay a certain price. But now that the Jazz are going to be competitive next season, it seems much less likely they make a trade of Markkanen. At the very least, it would seem like the price for Markkanen would be higher than before.

And yet… there are a few things that make me wonder if there’s maybe a slim chance.

The first thing is the upcoming lottery. What happens if the Jazz jump to the 3 or 4 spot and come away with Cam Boozer or Caleb Wilson? Utah is already getting a little redundant at power forward with Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. There may be some consideration of some sort of move if the Pistons offer a player like Ausar Thompson and a crazy amount of picks. With the upcoming lottery changes, picks could become even more valuable because any pick could potentially become the #1 pick. It’s at least interesting to think about. And if you feel like the player you’re bringing in could replace Markkanen’s production, it seems at least plausible.

The other thing to consider is Markkanen’s contract. It’s huge, and it’s not something Utah has to worry too much about now, it will be something that could cause problems down the road. Walker Kessler is still a question mark on whether they can get a reasonable contract signed, and Keyonte George has a contract extension coming up. If he continues his breakout play this season, he’s going to rightfully demand a big contract as well.

All that said, it doesn’t feel like a Markkanen move is likely at all this season. The Jazz are in no rush to make any moves and will be pushing hard for the playoffs and beyond. And let’s say they do get lucky in the lottery and draft a top-4 pick. Having so much talent that a player like Cam Boozer comes off the bench is a great problem to have.

It seems like the only scenario in which Utah makes a move is when a team like the Pistons makes an offer that Utah would be irresponsible to turn down. That doesn’t seem likely, so this doesn’t feel like much. It’s worth monitoring, but doesn’t seem very likely.

It was another star-studded crowd for Game 5 between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night. 

Jason Sudekis, star of the Apple TV show “Ted Lasso” sat courtside just as the new trailer was released for Season 4 of the show that premiers on August 5th. 

Did anyone else watch the new Ted Lasso trailer like I did?

Jason Sudekis himself is in the house tonight for Rockets vs. Lakers Game 5 pic.twitter.com/Sz327BCs94

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 30, 2026

In front of Sudekis sat Hollywood’s cutest couple Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin. The duo are huge Los Angeles sports fans and can be seen everywhere from Lakers games to Dodgers games to Rams games at SoFi Stadium.

Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin in the house tonight for Rockets and Lakers Game 5 pic.twitter.com/DwV0H4TEcj

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 30, 2026

Star of NBC’s “Law and Order,” actress Mariska Hargitay shared laughs courtside next to the show’s creator Dick Wolf. Fellow actors John David Washington, Dyan Cannon, Andy Garcia, Jay Mohr and Ray Nicholson. 

Mariska Hargitay from Law and Order is in the house tonight pic.twitter.com/qACQIHD81B

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 30, 2026

Legendary actor Dustin Hoffman was also in attendance. So was Tobey Maguire and Lukas Haas.

Dustin Hoffman in the building tonight for Game 5! pic.twitter.com/Y10z4oB8ac

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 30, 2026

NBA superfan Jimmy Goldstein sat in his usual courtside seat decked out in leather from head to toe, including his cowboy hat. Former Lakers champion Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace, and North Carolina basketball player Caleb Wilson were also in attendance.

Jimmy Goldstein and Ron Artest are in the building tonight for Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs between the Rockets and Lakers pic.twitter.com/ZrcrSVzyRd

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 30, 2026

Another former athlete was courtside as well. Former NFL defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who used to sack quarterbacks for a living, had his eyes on LeBron James and the Lakers all night. 

Moguls were there as well. Tilman Fertita kept a close eye on his Rockets. Another owner, Stan Kasten, who is a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was in attendance. As was comedy mogul Byron Allen and film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg. 

The music industry was also well represented. Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis was there courtside. As was the lead singer of Imagine Dragons Dan Reynolds and actress Minka Kelly. So was music producer Swizz Beatz, the husband of singer-songwriter Alicia Keys.

But the roar of the crowd was the loudest for former MVP and current All-Star shortstop of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mookie Betts.

The stars are out for Rockets-Lakers Game 5 pic.twitter.com/Mg3fT8FqZB

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 30, 2026

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Every season tells a story. This one told several at once for the Golden State Warriors, and most of them didn’t end well.

The Dubs spent the 2025–26 season watching pieces fall off in real time. Jimmy Butler III’s ACL. Stephen Curry’s knee. Moses Moody going down in Dallas. Jonathan Kuminga in a different uniform by February. Thirty-seven wins. A play-in exit that felt like a door closing on something, even if nobody could quite name it.

That’s the record but I’d say it’s not the whole story. Because inside all of that were flashes that didn’t belong to a 37–45 team. Nights where one player bent the game into something else, something worth watching, something that made you forget what the season actually was. This series is about those nights. I’m going to remind you of those games, each one a glimpse of who these Warriors could still be, even if they couldn’t hold onto it. Even though it was a season that slipped away, some moments didn’t.

Let me tell you about the time Steph Curry had in San Antonio back in November.

The night started with a shoe.

Stephen Curry walked into Frost Bank Center wearing Kobe 6s during warmups, the kind of statement that doesn’t need a press release but absolutely functions like one. He was a free agent from his sneaker deal, done with Under Armour after over a decade, and he chose that particular Friday night in San Antonio to quietly let every brand in the world know he was available. “New beginnings,” he told reporters before tip-off.

Steph Curry says he wore the Kobe 6 "Mambacita" before the game against the Spurs to honor Gigi and Kobe Bryant. ❤️

"I wanted to take advantage of that moment and pay tribute."

pic.twitter.com/TYNjsBZxtg

— Guru (@DrGuru_) November 15, 2025

And then the game started, and what followed had nothing to do with new beginnings. What followed was the most ancient version of Stephen Curry there is, the one that shows up when everything else around him starts to look like a group project where nobody did their part.

The Warriors shot 28 percent from the field in the first quarter, including 16.7 percent from three, which is less a shooting slump and more a philosophical question about why they were even taking the shots. Their teammates combined for nine points on 3-of-26 shooting in the first half. Nine. The bench managed 19 points for the entire game. By the time Golden State trailed by 10 with 6:51 remaining, this had all the makings of another entry in a long, ugly road losing streak, the kind where the plane ride home feels longer than the flight actually is.

And then Curry just started cooking.

He scored 14 consecutive points to close the third quarter, turning a deficit into a two-point game with 12 minutes left. Then 10 more in a row in less than two minutes midway through the fourth, each one arriving with the calm indifference of someone who has already decided how the night is going to end and is just letting everyone else catch up to it. He finished the second half with 31 points, exactly half of everything Golden State scored after intermission, on a night essentially handed him the offense like, “yeah man, this feels like your problem now.”

The final line: 49 points on 16-of-26 from the field, 9-of-17 from three, 8-of-8 from the free throw line. The Warriors outscored the Spurs 24-13 over the final 6:42 and survived, 109-108, which is a polite way of saying Steph dragged them out of a game they had no business winning.

Now here is where the story gets good.

Two nights earlier, on Wednesday in that same building, Curry had gone for 46 points in a win. But that second game in three days was the true stunner.

Steph Curry really is the only player this season to score 45+ against the juggernaut Spurs this season and did it twice:

46/5/5 on 52% shooting

Two days later:
49/4/2 on 62% shooting

He won both those games. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/qHbgnGwIqW

— Polymarket Hoops (@PolymarketHoops) March 27, 2026

Because this time, down the stretch, with the game on the line and a hostile building at full volume, Curry didn’t get to operate in clean conditions. He had to create chaos and then resolve it himself. Trailing by one with 6.4 seconds left, he baited De’Aaron Fox into a reach-in foul in transition, the kind of play that requires both instinct and a very specific understanding of when a defender is about to make a bad decision.

As he circled back toward the line, Victor Wembanyama turned to the louder section of the crowd and started waving for more noise, like he was personally trying to summon a playoff atmosphere in November. Curry saw all of it. He said so afterward. And instead of ignoring it, he walked several feet toward the crowd and mirrored the gesture right back at them, inviting more noise, not less, like he was slightly offended they hadn’t brought enough to begin with. Then he backed up and drained the free throw without a tremor.

“I think everyone expects it,” Steve Kerr said afterward.

That sentence is the whole article, if you want it to be.

Because after back-to-back 40-point performances in the same building against the same team, after willing a win out of a roster that shot 3-of-26 in the first half, his own coach wasn’t describing belief. He was describing routine.

The context around the 49 matters because the 46 two nights prior already told you the range was there. What that second game showed the range, plus the timing and the willingness to turn a bad game into a personal experiment, understanding exactly how much theater the moment could hold without ever losing control of it.

He said “new beginnings” before tip-off. He meant his shoe deal. What he actually gave the Warriors that night was something more familiar than that, something that keeps showing up no matter what version of the team is around him.

Everyone expects it.

CLEVELAND — Dennis Schroder scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Mobley hit a pair of pivotal 3-pointers in the final period and finished with 23 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for a 125-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series.

Cleveland leads the series 3-2. Game 6 is Friday night in Toronto.

James Harden scored 23 points and Donovan Mitchell added 19 for the Cavaliers.

“This was a step for us from a mental toughness point of view. I thought we showed good poise and resiliency,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “When you could have let your guard down, our guys kept with it.”

RJ Barrett led Toronto with 25 points while Ja’Kobe Walter added 20 and Jamal Shead had 18 off the bench.

The Raptors led 74-67 at halftime and scored the first five points of the third quarter. The Cavaliers slowly rallied but trailed 103-100 going into the final 12 minutes.

Cleveland seized control by scoring the first eight points of the fourth quarter. Jaylon Tyson hit a step-back 3-pointer to tie it at 103-all, and a 3 by Mobley gave the Cavaliers a 106-103 lead.

“He’s ready for those moments. He wants those moments. He works relentlessly on the 3-ball. Those were big shots for us for sure,” Mitchell said of Mobley.

Toronto missed its first 11 shots and was 7 of 28 from the field in the fourth while Cleveland made 7 of its first 11 and was 9 of 19.

“I would not just blame the fourth quarter. We cannot allow this team to score 125 points,” coach Darko Rajakovic said.

The Raptors were hobbled in the final period. Forward Brandon Ingram left the game in the second quarter with right heel inflammation. Fellow All-Star Scottie Barnes also was not at full strength after getting kneed in the quadriceps by Thomas Bryant while driving to the basket in the first half.

Barnes scored just 3 of his 17 points in the second half.

“For the most part, I thought we had this game. We played good enough to win. Just in the fourth quarter, they played a little better,” Barrett said. “What can you do? It’s the playoffs. Now, it’s do or die. Give them credit. We’ll be ready Friday.”

The Cavaliers won despite committing 15 turnovers that resulted in 28 Toronto points. They had 10 in the first half which the Raptors converted into 23 points.

“In the second half, I think ball-handling and Dennis helped relieve some of the pressure off (Mitchell) and (Harden) so I think that was part of it. If we are going to win on the road, we’ve got to find a way to clean that up,” Atkinson said.

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored a franchise playoff-record 45 points, including a step-back jumper with 32 seconds left, and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons beat the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic 116-109 on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series to stave off elimination.

Orlando leads the series 3-2 and will get a second chance to advance at home on Friday night.

The Magic fell to 0-10 in franchise history on the road in a Game 5.

Detroit never trailed and went ahead by 15 early in the final quarter. The Magic made one more run, pulling within three points on Paolo Banchero’s sixth 3-pointer with 1:09 left. Banchero matched Cunningham with 45 points, also a playoff career-high — and missed 7 of 12 free throws.

CAVALIERS 125, RAPTORS 120

CLEVELAND (AP) — Dennis Schroder scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Mobley hit a pair of pivotal 3-pointers in the final period and finished with 23 points, and Cleveland rallied for a victory over Toronto in Game 5 of their first-round series.

Cleveland leads the series 3-2. Game 6 is Friday night in Toronto.

James Harden scored 23 points and Donovan Mitchell added 19 for the Cavaliers.

RJ Barrett led Toronto with 25 points while Ja’Kobe Walter added 20 and Jamal Shead had 18 off the bench. All-star forward Brandon Ingram left the game in the second quarter with right heel inflammation.

Toronto went to Cleveland with a singular mission. They wanted to do something neither team has done yet in this series: Win on the road. A challenging task on a regular day, even more so in the playoffs. The crowd is unwelcoming. The opponent is more comfortable. It’s no surprise they weren’t able to overcome the obstacle, dropping the game to Cleveland 120-125, but now will return home facing elimination, an even more daunting task.

This matchup was the complete opposite style of game 4. After both teams scored in double figures the last time out, this contest saw both teams in triple figures before the fourth quarter even started. With a 40-point second quarter in the mix, there was no shortage of scoring. 

At times, Toronto struggled with the same things they have all series: closing quarters, over-helping, and struggling from the free-throw line. They proved to be their undoing once again, as this will remain the game that got away.

Despite the struggles, there were a number of solid performances that helped give Raps fans some hope for when they return home. Barnes, Barrett, Murray-Boyles, and Walter all had excellent games, with the bench tandem of Shead and Mamu giving it their all as well.

MAMUUUUUUUU pic.twitter.com/YNJUmwTgge

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 30, 2026

Barnes finished with 17-5-9, playing a solid all-around game that no one could be mad about. He continues to impress as the floor general, generating a good portion of Toronto’s scoring, especially in the first half. RJ finished with 22-9-4, also a solid game for him as he continues to have a great series as well.

Murray-Boyles has been a difference maker in this series, his defensive effort and activity on the offensive board gaining Toronto extra possessions. Despite being undersized in some matchups, he continues to show no hesitation, even going toe-to-toe with Mobley:

COLLIN MURRAY-BOYLES SAID NOT IN MY HOUSE 🙅‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/E1xD3Frs6E

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) April 24, 2026

Walter found his rhythm tonight, a welcome sight after an 0-9 performance in game 4. He took no time getting going, scoring 17 points in the first half alone, connecting consistently from long range.

The first looked like a summary of the entire series so far. Both teams exchanged baskets leading to a close quarter. Toronto was able to stay ahead for most of it, but had difficulty in the final minutes of the quarter, letting Cleveland close the quarter in the lead. Scottie was a big factor in the first, finding his own shot and distributing, imposing his will on the game. 

In the second, the Raptors took their biggest hit so far with Ingram heading to the changeroom. Later it was announced he wouldn’t return as he continues to battle heel inflammation that he has struggled with since the late stages of the regular season. Already missing Quickley, this seemed like just another disadvantage for Toronto, but Ingram has struggled greatly, and this opened more minutes for Ja’Kobe who answered the call and made some big shots. The Raptors were able to outscore Cleveland by 11 in this frame, making tough defensive plays. It helped that it seemed like all of their shots were falling as well, letting them head to the locker room with a comfortable lead. 

Ja'Kobe Walter had a HUGE first half 🔥

Walter came off the bench and ALREADY has a new postseason career-high 17 points (5-8 3PM)!

Raptors up 74-67 seeking a 3-2 series lead. pic.twitter.com/4scGMClCfS

— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2026

In the third, Cleveland answered Toronto’s challenge, with their bigs controlling much of the scoring early on. The Raptors simultaneously went through a scoring drought, all but eliminating the lead they held coming into the quarter. Every time Cleveland got close though, Toronto was somehow able to answer, capitalizing on turnovers or getting out and running to rebuild their lead. Rinse and repeat. 

There was a fair amount of chippiness in this series that slowly seems to be bubbling up. A little bit of shoving, a little bit of exchanging words, and eventually a crowd or two forming through different stages of the game all indicate the longer this series goes on, the more tensions will escalate.

RJ TOOK OFF ON EM 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TzORe4iN7t

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 30, 2026

In the fourth, Cleveland finally managed to secure a lead, as Toronto came up empty on their first nine shots of the quarter. They blew the lid off though, coming up with big shots just as Cleveland started to pull away. With the game within just two points, it seemed like they were able to hold on and have a chance. 

Perhaps a lack of discipline or maybe a bit of fatigue set in, but they allowed the Cavs to run away with the game by simply not doing any of the things they’d been doing all game that were working. The second and third effort on the boards, the help defence forcing turnovers, the second chance opportunities. They’d lift a shot, brick it, and then hustle back on defence. Their long range shots weren’t working (but continued jacking them), they were coughing it up in the paint, and couldn’t come away with the ball. They got the defensive stops, but converting in the clutch wasn’t in the cards tonight. 

Toronto played the game of fouling for extra possessions, but it wasn’t enough with the lead Cleveland already had. 

Now, they will regroup and review what went wrong in this game and return to their own home crowd, hoping to force a game seven. This chance will come Friday, May 1, as Toronto hosts the Caveliers.

All Times EDT

Thursday, April 30

MLB

Detroit at Atlanta, 12:15 p.m.

Houston at Baltimore, 2, 12:35 p.m.

St. Louis at Pittsburgh, 12:35 p.m.

Colorado at Cincinnati, 12:40 p.m.

San Francisco at Philadelphia, 12:35 p.m., 1st game

Washington at N.Y. Mets, 1:10 p.m.

Arizona at Milwaukee, 1:40 p.m.

Kansas City at Athletics, 3:05 p.m.

San Francisco at Philadelphia, 5:35 p.m., 2nd game

Toronto at Minnesota, 7:40 p.m.

NBA - Playoffs

Eastern Conference First Round - Game 6

New York at Atlanta, 7 p.m.

Boston at Philadelphia, 8 p.m.

Western Conference First Round - Game 6

Denver at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m.

NHL - Playoffs

Western Conference First Round - Game 6

Dallas at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.

Edmonton at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

PWHL - Playoffs

Ottawa at Boston, 7 p.m.

_____

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers fought back from a double-digit second-half deficit to regain control of the series. Eleven fourth-quarter points from Dennis Schroder and multiple clutch shots from Evan Mobley carried the Cavs to a 125-120 victory to take a 3-2 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson decided to make a change with his starting lineup: Dean Wade was out, Max Strus was in. The idea behind this move was to primarily juice an offense that couldn’t get anything going in either Game 3 or 4.

This move didn’t produce instant results. The Cavs were outscored by nine points in the first five minutes with the starting lineup on the floor. They weren’t physical defensively, and the insertion didn’t provide the offensive boost Atkinson was likely hoping for.

Momentum changed after the initial subs came in. Dean Wade and Sam Merrill provided an immediate spark, but the real story was James Harden playing some of his best basketball since coming to Cleveland.

Harden carried the Cavs through the opening quarter. He poured in 14 points in that frame to help the Cavs secure a narrow 38-34 lead after one.

Cleveland gave that advantage away at the beginning of the second quarter.

Atkinson decided to give Thomas Bryant his first minutes of the series at the start of the second quarter, and it didn’t go well. The Raptors picked on him defensively and neutralized any advantage he would’ve created inside because they could cheat off Mobley.

This allowed the Raptors’ offense to get going. Toronto rattled off 40 points in the second quarter, led by 11 points from Ja’Kobe Walter, and the team went 5-8 (62.5%) from beyond the arc.

Turnovers were once again a problem for the Cavs in the second quarter. After a lights-out first quarter, Harden turned it over four times himself. As a team, Cleveland gave it up six times in the quarter, leading to 14 Toronto points off turnovers.

This all resulted in the Cavs going into the half with a seven-point deficit.

Brandon Ingram left the game in the second quarter with a heel injury that kept him out the rest of the game. He scored just one point on 0-2 shooting in 11 minutes.

The Raptors pushed their advantage to 12 at the start of the third quarter. The Cavs fought back to keep the game within reach, and then cut the deficit to just three at the end of the quarter, thanks to a three and dunk by Mobley just before the clock expired.

A Jaylon Tyson three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter tied the game. The Cavs took their first lead since midway through the second quarter with a Mobley triple. Dennis Schroder took over from there.

After being an afterthought for the first four games of the series, Schroder made his presence felt. He ran the offense in the fourth quarter and carried the team over the finish line. He scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter on an efficient 5-8 shooting.

Schroder’s emergence came at the expense of Donovan Mitchell’s minutes. Mitchell was held to just six and a half minutes in the final frame and didn’t re-enter the fourth quarter until under three minutes left in the game.

It was a weird game for Mitchell. There were spurts — particularly in the third quarter — where he was his usual aggressive self. Still, this wasn’t typical playoff form. He finished just four of his 10 shots in the paint. Mitchell had 19 points on 7-17 shooting with three assists.

Harden and Mobley led the Cavs with 23 points apiece. Harden went 7-13 from the field with nine rebounds and five assists. Mobley had six points in the fourth quarter.

RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 25 points on 9-19 shooting with 12 rebounds and five assists. Walter had 20 points on 7-16 shooting. Scottie Barnes had 17 points on 6-16 shooting with 11 assists and eight boards.

It’s been a hard-fought series that hasn’t necessarily been pretty throughout. The same warts that have plagued the Cavs throughout this era of basketball have cropped up at the worst times. Still, they have a chance to close out this first-round series as it shifts back to Canada.

Game 6 is on Friday evening.

With Franz Wagner ruled out for Orlando with a calf strain, Detroit looked to capitalize inside. Jalen Duren was working inside early and the Pistons were in the bonus quickly with nine minutes left in the first. They got back to playing basketball the Detroit way with seven offensive rebounds and 12 second chance points. They led Orlando 38-26 after the first quarter.

The game turned into the Cade Cunningham vs Paolo Banchero show in the second quarter. Banchero was doing it all for Orlando as he looked to step up with Wagner’s injury, but Cade was a man on a mission. He had nine straight points at one point and finished with 20 points in just the second quarter alone. A couple bad fouls at the end of the quarter by Detroit gave Orlando a 7-0 run to give the Pistons a 66-60 lead heading into halftime despite Detroit holding a 17-point lead earlier.

There were two scares to start the second half as both Ausar Thompson and Tobias Harris rolled ankles. Duren picked up his fourth foul halfway through the quarter and Ausar was in the locker room, but Thompson returned to the floor shortly after. He found Tobias Harris in transition for a dunk then Cade for a three – so strange how good things happen when Ausar’s on the floor! Detroit took a 89-79 lead heading into the final frame.

Thompson had a nice behind-the-back move and drive on Jalen Suggs followed by two threes from Javonte Green and Duncan Robinson to push Detroit’s lead back to 16. Orlando battled back as Cade knocked down free throws for his 40th point to put Detroit up nine with five minutes to go. Banchero turned into a flamethrower from deep, hitting four threes in the final quarter and two late to make it a 112-109 game, but Cunningham hit Desmond Bane with a nasty step back midrange jumper that would end up being the dagger to force a Game 6 back in Orlando. Detroit would win 116-109.

See y'all in Orlando. https://t.co/yAqZX0PBmSpic.twitter.com/VO16TxMIP0

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 30, 2026

I mean, give it up to Cade freakin’ Cunningham – he had 45 points on an incredibly efficient 23 shots, along with going 14-for-14 from the free throw line. Cade set a new franchise record as his 45 points were the most in Detroit Pistons playoff history. He also knocked down five of his eight three-point attempts. This guy is the real deal.

Tobias Harris continues to be the steady vet, and frankly, Detroit’s #2 option in this series. He finished with 23 points and eight rebounds while shooting 50% from the field. Duncan Robinson and Jalen Duren each finished with 12 points.

This might’ve been one of the most impressive games of Ausar Thompson’s career. He finished with six points, 15 rebounds, six assists, five steals, and two blocks. He was everywhere defensively and continues to be a difference maker on both sides of the court. He flashed some more ball-handling ability tonight and it’ll get more comfortable to him with time, but there’s no doubt he has been Detroit’s second most important player in this series.

While Paolo Banchero also had 45 points, it’s a good strategy to let him shoot the ball 31 times. To show how much of an anomaly this game was for him, it was the first time all season that he attempted double-digit threes while also being the first time he has made more than five of them. Frankly, the fact that Paolo had one of the best sharpshooting games of his career and Orlando still couldn’t get the job done should be good news for Detroit.

The series is now 3-2 heading back to Orlando as the Pistons will need to find a way to claw out another win. If they can win Friday night, Game 7 will take place in Detroit on Sunday.

Lock in, sickos.

Go Stones.

DETROIT — Cade Cunningham came through for the Pistons when they needed him. With Detroit teetering on the brink of elimination, Cunningham outdueled Orlando’s Paolo Banchero in a sensational scoring matchup of former No. 1 overall picks.

Cunningham had a franchise playoff-record 45 points and the top-seeded Pistons held off the eighth-seeded Magic for a 116-109 win on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series, avoiding elimination for at least a couple of days.

“We dug ourselves a hole and now it’s time to climb our way out,” Cunningham said. “It’s possible.”

Orlando leads the series 3-2 and will get a second chance to advance at home on Friday night. If the Pistons win their first road game of the series, they will host a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.

Banchero also scored 45 points for a playoff career high — but missed 7 of 12 free throws — and fell one point short of equaling the franchise postseason record shared by Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard.

The Magic were outrebounded by 16 and made just 16 of 30 free throws.

“We got to be better on the glass and obviously, better on the free-throw line,” said Banchero, drafted No. 1 overall by Orlando in 2022. “If we make our free throws, we got a real chance of winning the game. We lost by seven, and missed 14 free throws. That’s the game.”

Cunningham set a single-game playoff scoring record for Detroit that had stood since Dave Bing had 44 points in 1968. Isiah Thomas approached that mark with a 43-point performance in 1988.

In NBA history there was only one other playoff game with two players scoring 45 or more.

Donovan Mitchell scored 51 points for Utah in a win over Denver in 2020, while the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray had 50 points.

When Detroit drafted Cunningham first overall in 2021, it was hoping he would have games like this one.

He was 13 of 23 from the field, made a playoff career-high five 3-pointers and was 14 of 14 at the line.

“We’re going to see this a long time,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He’s going to do a lot of special things.”

The 24-year-old Cunningham came up short in late-game situations with the ball earlier in the series and in last year’s first-round series against the New York Knicks, but he was clutch in key moments to extend the matchup with the Magic.

The Pistons never trailed, going ahead by 17 points in the first half and by 15 early in the fourth quarter.

The Magic pulled within three points on Banchero’s sixth 3-pointer with 1:09 left.

On the ensuing possession after Ausar Thompson hustled for an offensive rebound, Cunningham made a step-back, 16-foot jumper to help seal it.

“Not everybody is blessed with those opportunities to have pressure and have things on the line like that,” Cunningham said. “I’m just thankful for it and trying to make the most out of it.

“We’ve had a great season so far and none of us want it to end.”

The Pistons are hoping to bounce back from the brink of elimination as they did against the Magic two-plus decades ago.

Detroit’s comeback in 2003 as a No. 1 seed against eighth-seeded Orlando was the first of seven times NBA teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit this century.

The Nuggets were the last team to pull off the feat six years ago — in the same series that featured Mitchell and Murray each scoring 50-plus point — and they became the first team in the league to do it twice in one postseason.

“You don’t want to put yourself in this situation, but this is what we expected,” Bickerstaff said. “When our backs are against the wall, we come out swinging. We come out kicking. We come out scratching, biting, clawing.”

Victor Wembanyama is putting a new spin on Lesley Gore’s 1963 hit, “It’s My Party.” 

In it, she sings, “It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to.” 

Wembanyama, 22, essentially said the same thing when he addressed fans who have criticized and mocked him for crying following emotional wins for the Spurs in an interview with French outlet L’Équipe. 

The Spurs superstar recently received attention from fans who noticed him crying after a comeback victory over the Clippers last month.

On Tuesday, he was visibly emotional on the bench as San Antonio clinched its opening-round series in five games over the Trail Blazers. 

When the French outlet asked Wemby about it, he had no problem defending his show of emotions. 

“That’s a tough question. I think it’s first and foremost a fear of judgment,” he told L’Équipe reporter Maxime Aubin. “Like this feeling that you have to act a certain way, social codes, I guess. Personally, I refuse to carry the burden of having to hide my emotions.” 

Wembanyama has become a massive star — both in his literal stature and popularity — through his first three seasons in the NBA. 

During the postseason, he’s averaged 21 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks through four games. 

As for the emotion after the win on Tuesday night, Wembanyama explained it as having felt like the Spurs had passed a “step.” 

“It feels like a step passed, step 1 done. I’m personally happy to see things are moving forward in the right direction,” he said. 

San Antonio is going through its first playoff run since the 2018-19 season, and it’s hard to imagine any Spurs fan having any issue with the big man’s emotional displays as the team keeps winning. 

The Spurs will face the winner of the Nuggets-Timberwolves series.

Facing elimination, Cade Cunningham willed the Detroit Pistons to a massive victory in Game 5.

Detroit withstood a late Orlando Magic surge Wednesday, April 29, winning 116-109, to force a Game 6, though Detroit still trails in the series 3-2.

It had been a frustrating round for Cunningham, who committed 24 turnovers over the previous three games prior to Wednesday night. Cunningham’s scoring had been there, but his supporting cast on the Pistons had been struggling to provide enough contributions.

At the risk of being closed out, Cunningham took matters into his own hands, setting a new Pistons franchise record for most points in a single playoff game.

Here’s Cade Cunningham’s full box score from Game 5 of the first round against the Orlando Magic.

Cade Cunningham stats vs. Magic

• Points: 45
• FG: 13-for-23
• 3PT: 5-for-8
• FT: 14-for-14
• Rebounds: 4
• Assists: 5
• Steals: 1
• Blocks: 0
• Turnovers: 6
• Fouls: 3
• Minutes played: 43:39

Cade Cunningham highlights

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cade Cunningham points tonight, Magic vs Pistons stats