Three things Magic are doing right vs. Pistons

Winning the battle of the bigs

There's a sequence in Game 2 when 6-foot-10 Jalen Duren tries to put on a dribbling display against 6-foot-10 Wendell Carter Jr. at the top of the key. With nimble hands and feet, Carter pokes the ball free, goes on a one-man fastbreak, and slams the ball.

This moment just about sums up the duel between these two big men. Duren, who earned his first All-Star selection this season, was supposed to have an edge over the less heralded Carter. But, in the first four games of this series, it's been the Magic center who has been winning the matchup by frustrating Duren on the defensive end.

Whether Duren is catching the ball close to the basket or trying to bust a dribbling move or two, Carter has consistently stayed in front of him to increase the difficulty level of his shots. Thanks in large part to Carter's defense, Duren is averaging just 9.8 points on eight field goal attempts per game in this series. That's not quite the production that the Pistons are hoping to get from their cornerstone in the post.

Limiting the Pistons from deep

With Carter capably manning the shaded lane, the Pistons have had to get their 3-point shots to fall. To Orlando's credit, they have also done a great job of cutting off that scoring pipeline.

In this series, the Pistons have made a measly 27.5% of their shots from beyond the arc. Magic defenders like Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs have put in the effort to close out on the Pistons' shooters, making it even tougher for Detroit to get their offense going when Duren kicks the ball out to the perimeter.

On their end, the Magic have shot better than the Pistons from beyond the arc over the last three games. They are by no means an elite outside shooting team, but snipers like Bane (44.1% from deep) have done enough to stay a step ahead of their Detroit counterparts.

Unleashing the potential of Jamal Cain

When the season began, four-year pro Jamal Cain was on a two-way contract, splitting his time between the Orlando Magic and the Osceola Magic in the G League.

Just a month after Cain's contract was converted to a standard deal, the former Marquette standout is now making a name for himself in the playoffs at the expense of two All-Stars.

When Franz Wagner suffered a calf injury in the third quarter of Game 4, it was Cain who took over the responsibility of defending Cade Cunningham. Against an MVP-caliber athlete, Cain held his ground and helped to limit Cunningham's production the rest of the way.

Excellent lateral movement and successful attempts to draw charges aren't exactly highlight material. But Cain had that covered as well. Early in the fourth quarter of Game 4, he drove past Cunningham, saw Duren waiting in the paint and rose up anyway.

The image of Cain slamming the ball over Duren's outstretched arms is a thunderous statement, in more ways than one. The Magic weren't supposed to be dunking on the Pistons this way, but they most definitely are.