Pistons force decider; Lakers advance

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The top-seeded Detroit Pistons recovered from the brink of elimination with an astounding comeback against Orlando as the Los Angeles Lakers finally saw off Houston at the third time of asking in the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs Friday.

The Pistons’ come-from-behind win took their series with the Magic to a decisive Game Seven, while the Toronto Raptors also set up a decider against Cleveland thanks to an overtime thriller triumph.

Up 3-2 in the series against Detroit and seeking a close-out victory, the Magic had led by as many as 24 points before their shooting suddenly collapsed and the Pistons took full advantage.

A shell-shocked Orlando missed 23 consecutive field goals — the longest streak in playoff history — and scored just one point in over 10 minutes of basketball, as the Pistons sealed a 93-79 win.

“Never say die, simple as that. I mean, Detroit grit, it’s what we’ve been talking about all year,” said Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, who led the scoring with 32 points and 10 rebounds.

Having been down 3-1 in the series, the Pistons had looked set to become just the seventh top seed in NBA history to lose in the first round to their conference’s bottom seed.

But they now have a chance to win the series back in Detroit on Sunday.

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After an even first quarter, Orlando went on a hot streak, before the pressure of closing out their first playoff series win since 2010 seemed to kick in.

Boos rained down on the court as a 71-54 Magic advantage was transformed into an 80-72 Detroit lead.

The Pistons, having dominated the regular season, will now be favorites to claim their own first playoff series win since 2008.

“Thank God we get to take this back to the crib. It’s gonna be loud in Detroit, and we got to finish our business,” said Cunningham, who scored 19 in the fourth quarter.

If Detroit reaches the Eastern semifinal it will play either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Raptors, whose series also stands 3-3 after an overtime Toronto win.

Playing at home, the Raptors led most of the night, before the Cavaliers powered back in the fourth quarter to set up an intense finish.

Leading by two points with less than a minute remaining, Toronto handed Cleveland a lifeline with a shot-clock violation.

Evan Mobley forced his way through the Raptors’ defense to tie up the game 104-104, and Toronto’s Jamal Shead just missed a return shot at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Cleveland nudged in front, and led by one point until the final few seconds.

But RJ Barrett’s three-pointer jump shot bounced off the heel of the rim, looped up in the air and dropped through the net to seal the Toronto win.

The Lakers, having led their series against Houston 3-0, had twice wobbled to allow the Rockets to get back to 3-2.

But LeBron James’ men killed off the series with a comfortable 98-78 win to set up a Western semifinal against Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning NBA champions.

Superstar James top-scored with 28 points, plus eight assists and seven rebounds, continuing his fine post-season form at the age of 41.

The win spared the Lakers’ blushes. A loss would have left them one defeat away from being the first team in NBA history to squander a 3-0 playoff lead.

“A lot of our guys, quite frankly, have not been in this position, have not been in a close-out situation, especially on the road, so it was important for me to go out and set the tone,” said James.