Orlando Magic shock Detroit Pistons as Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics win big in NBA play-offs
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Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic taking a three-point shot over Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons during Game 1 of their NBA play-off series on April 19, when the Magic won 112-101.
PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES – The Orlando Magic stunned the Detroit Pistons 112-101 on April 19, as the reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics opened the National Basketball Association (NBA) play-offs with big wins.
The Thunder, trying to become the first team since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 to repeat as champions, came out firing in a 119-84 home victory over the Phoenix Suns.
The Celtics, seeded second in the Eastern Conference behind Detroit, beat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 123-91.
And San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant play-off debut, scoring 35 points as the hosts beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98.
Oklahoma City looked rested and recharged after a week off since they locked up the Western Conference top seed and best record in the league. But Eastern Conference top seeds Detroit looked rusty and the Magic, who battled through the play-in to bag their play-off berth, took advantage.
Paolo Banchero scored 23 points and Franz Wagner scored 11 of his 19 in the fourth quarter as the Magic withstood a 39-point performance from Pistons star Cade Cunningham.
“I liked our composure the whole game, our energy,” Wagner said after the Magic handed the Pistons an 11th straight home play-off defeat, a skid dating back to 2008.
Cunningham said: “(We) just didn’t come out with the right energy, gave them life early on... Then we had to deal with that for the rest of the game.”
But he remained confident the Pistons can turn things around in the best-of-seven first-round series.
“There’s no confidence drop from us,” he said. “It’ll be a long, fun series.”
Fans were revved up in Oklahoma City, where reigning NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 25 points.
He connected on just five of 18 from the field but made 15 of his 17 free-throw attempts and added seven assists and two blocked shots before sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
Jalen Williams added 22 points and Chet Holmgren scored 16 for the Thunder. Devin Booker scored 23 points for Phoenix, but the Suns were otherwise stifled by their opponents.
“It was a great defensive performance,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We forced them to earn everything.”
In Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 51 points as the Celtics led wire to wire against the Sixers.
Tatum led the charge, racking up 21 of his 25 points in the first half. Brown poured in 16 of his 26 in the third quarter alone.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Tatum, whose unexpected late-season return from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in the 2025 play-offs has plenty of pundits picking Boston, not Detroit, to emerge from the East.
“Not too long ago I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to play this season, let alone get an opportunity to play in the play-offs.”
In San Antonio, the second-seeded Spurs led the Trail Blazers by as many as 16 points on the way to a 59-49 half-time lead.
Portland, led by 30 points and 10 rebounds from Deni Avdija, cut the deficit to two early in the third quarter.
But the Spurs pulled away again, thrilling the San Antonio fans who have waited since 2019 to see the five-time champions return to the play-offs.
“We were solid, but job’s not done,” said Wembanyama. AFP
