ORLANDO, Fla. — A disruptive night on the defensive end — along with strong offensive performances from Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris — allowed the Detroit Pistons to open a three-game road trip with another win.
They defeated the Orlando Magic 106-92 to improve to 45-14, the team’s highest win total since winning 59 games in the 2007-08 season. Cunningham scored 29 points, 11 assists and 2 steals for the Pistons, while Harris contributed 23 points and 7 rebounds. Osar Thompson also performed well on both ends of the court, scoring 9 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals.
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At halftime, the Pistons trailed 57-50, but the Magic scored only 35 points in the second half on 30.8% shooting. The defense had a terrible night from beyond the arc – the Pistons shot just 4-of-30 (13.3%), including missing their first 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots with Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the first quarter at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.
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Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
With the win, the Pistons (45-14) surpassed their win total for the 2024-25 season … with 23 games remaining. They also lead the Boston Celtics by 6 games in the Eastern Conference and 8.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division. Detroit’s .762 winning percentage is also the best in the league, just ahead of Oklahoma City’s .754 (46-15).
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What’s next for the Pistons
Detroit’s roster of NBA Finals contenders isn’t letting up as they also head to Cleveland (38-24). The Cavaliers nearly defeated the Pistons on Friday despite missing Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Harden returned on Sunday to lead the Cavaliers to a 106-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Osar Thompson sparks Pistons offense with defense
Detroit Pistons guard Osar Thompson (9) defends Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the first quarter at Kia Center on Sunday, March 1, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.
The third-year forward had two monster blocks and a steal early in the third quarter to help spark the Pistons’ offense after a lackluster first half. The second block led to Harris’ three-pointer from the corner, giving them their first lead at 67-65 with 6:44 left.
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Despite the poor shooting performance, the Pistons’ offense ranks in the top 10 this season as they are one of the best teams at forcing turnovers and taking advantage of opportunities in transition. Thompson accounted for a large portion of the fast break due to his complete destruction of the defense. He’s one of the best steals in the league and the Pistons’ third-best shot blocker behind Isaiah Stewart and Paul Reed.
The Pistons dominated Orlando’s defense in the second half and kept their transition game going, during which they outscored the Magic 9-0 on fast breaks and 16-2 on turnovers.
Three-point shooting issues continue
It took nearly half a half for the Pistons to hit their first three-pointer. With 3 minutes and 42 seconds left in the second quarter, Javonte Green made a shot. Prior to that shot, the Pistons were 0-for-15 overall. They went 1-for-17 from the field entering halftime.
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It was their second-worst first-half performance, behind only an 0-for-12 performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 28. The Pistons have been one of the league’s weaker three-point shooting teams this season, but even by their standards, they’re in the doldrums.
The Pistons shot 6-for-27 (22.2%) against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, 9-for-27 (33.3%) against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday and 7-for-36 (19.4%) at home against the San Antonio Spurs last Monday. So far in the second half of the season, they are shooting 32.2% from three-point range, ranking 26th.
Once they started hitting three-pointers in the second half, the game turned to the Pistons. They hit 3-pointers on their first five shots of the third quarter, with Cunningham knocking down two and Harris hitting another.
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This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons beat Orlando Magic 106-92
