Pistons’ Cade Cunningham says the obvious out loud about Game 5 eruption

Story by

Abdullah Imran, ClutchPoints

Thu, April 30, 2026 at 4:42 AM UTC ·

2 min read

Pistons’ Cade Cunningham says the obvious out loud about Game 5 eruption appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Detroit Pistons kept their season alive on Wednesday night with a 116-109 Game 5 victory over the Orlando Magic at Little Caesars Arena, cutting the first-round playoff series deficit to 3-2.

The win was anchored by Cade Cunningham , who scored a franchise playoff-record 45 points, surpassing Dave Bing’s previous high of 44. He shot 13-of-23 from the field, 5-of-8 from three-point range, and a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line. He also added 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and played 43:39. The performance came in a duel with Paolo Banchero , who also scored 45, a playoff career high.

Cunningham, who had 24 turnovers across the previous three games and six in Game 5, explained the obvious reason for his eruption after the win:

“I don’t want the season to end right now so I got to put it all on the line,” he said.

The All-Star guard, who signed a five-year, $269 million extension, has now scored at least 25 points in every game of the series after a 60-win regular season.

Detroit never trailed in the game and set the tone early, including a first-half output of 66 points. Cunningham accounted for 27 of those points, including 20 in the second quarter, the highest-scoring postseason half by a Pistons player in the play-by-play era. Detroit led by as many as 17 points, but Orlando continued to respond and stayed within reach.

Cunningham scored 10 points in the third quarter as the Pistons rebuilt control, entering the fourth with a double-digit lead before late pressure from the Magic. After Orlando tried to mount a late comeback, he closed the door with a step-back jumper in the final 32 seconds.

Detroit’s supporting effort was led by a 49-33 rebounding advantage, including 16 offensive rebounds to the Magic’s 8. Ausar Thompson grabbed 15 rebounds, including 4 on the offensive glass. Tobias Harris contributed 23 points and 8 rebounds, Jalen Duren finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds, and Duncan Robinson scored 12 points.

For Orlando, Banchero shot 17-of-31, hit six three-pointers, and scored 18 points in the fourth quarter alone. Along with the 45 points, he finished with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Desmond Bane contributed 18 points, Anthony Black scored 19, and Jalen Suggs added 10. However, the Magic’s inefficiency at the line (16-of-30) and the absence of Franz Wagner due to a calf strain proved costly.

Next, the Pistons will head to Orlando on Friday for Game 6, with a chance to force a Game 7 back in Detroit on Sunday.