Jamal Cain has a serious claim for Dunk of the Postseason, and we’re only in the first round of the playoffs.
And the Detroit Pistons, who earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference, are now just a single game away from being knocked out early.
The Orlando Magic fended off the Pistons and grabbed a tight 94-88 win in Game 4 at the Kia Center on Monday night. That gave them a 3-1 lead in the series as it heads back to Detroit later on Wednesday for Game 5. If the Magic can close it out, it’ll mark their first series win since 2010.
The Magic are just the sixth No. 8 seed to take a 3-1 lead over a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs. Of those teams, four of the last five have advanced into the next round.
Jamal Cain’s wild poster
Cain brought the ball up the court himself just before the midway point of the fourth quarter on Monday night, and found a lane on the outside that turned into a very clear path to the rim.
He took it, and there was nothing Jalen Duren was able to do about it.
Cain rose up and expertly threw down a right-handed dunk that sent Duren stumbling back to the ground under the rim.
The other angles of the poster are just as incredible.
That’s a dunk that Cain, and Duren by default, is going to remember for a long time.
Cain averaged 5.4 points and two rebounds per game this season off the bench for the Magic, who converted him to a standard deal last month after signing him to a two-way contract last July.
Cain’s dunk put the Magic up by four at the time. While the Pistons hung around for a while, it was Desmond Bane that finally put them away. Bane drilled a clutch 3-pointer off the glass with just 1:16 left on the clock that pushed the lead to two possessions and finally sealed the six-point win.
Detroit made just a single field goal in the last five minutes of the contest.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points and eight rebounds, though he went just 3-of-11 from the 3-point line. Tobias Harris added 20 points and seven rebounds, and Duren finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. The Pistons committed 20 turnovers in the loss, and missed eight free throws.
Bane led the Magic with 22 points after making five 3-pointers on the night. Franz Wagner added 19 points, and Paolo Banchero finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Orlando shot just 33% from the field, which is the fifth-worst mark in a playoff win in the 3-point era.
Game 5 of the series is set for Wednesday night in Detroit. The Pistons, who largely dominated the East all season, are also looking for their first playoff series win in decades. The franchise hasn’t been past the opening round since the 2007-08 season, and was knocked out in the opening round last year, too.
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