Pistons blow out Magic in Game 2 with dominant third quarter

The Pistons got scoring from multiple players during the run, with Cunningham orchestrating ball movement and getting teammates wide-open shots. It put pressure on the Magic, who couldn't key on any one player — or double Cunningham — or the Pistons made them pay.

Pistons defense stiffened after halftime

Ausar Thompson got two steals in the third quarter. Duren and Isaiah Stewart protected the rim. But the biggest Pistons improvement is that they stopped fouling, after 10 shooting fouls in the first half. Duncan Robinson committed three shooting fouls in a span of 2:17 at the end of the second quarter.

Without the opportunities at the free throw line, Orlando's poor shooting, influenced by Detroit's tight defense, struggled greatly. They shot 8-for-30 from three-point range, with two of the makes coming from rookie Jase Richardson after the Magic had pulled their starters in garbage time.

Bane shot 2-for-11, Jalen Suggs was 7-for-18, and Carter went 1-for-6 as the Magic shot 33 percent as a team. That's a big difference from their 49-percent shooting from Game 1, showing the Pistons were the NBA's No. 2 defense this season for a reason.

When Cunningham is cooking, and the Pistons defense is playing well, Detroit is hard to beat. The Magic have to do it three more times to pull off the upset.