Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero just had a duel for the ages, as they became just the second set of opponents to each score 45 points in the same playoff game. The Pistons pulled off a 116-109 victory to keep their season alive. Meanwhile, the Magic will be without Franz Wagner again as they look to pull off the upset over the top seed.
They'll need another big performance from Banchero, with assistance from Desmond Bane. Meanwhile, Cunningham and Tobias Harris will look to carry the Pistons' offense.
Let's get into my NBA Same Game Parlay Strategy Guide for Pistons vs. Magic for Friday, May 1.
NBA Same Game Parlay Strategy Guide for Pistons vs Magic
The Angle: Magic Try to Advance Without Franz Wagner
Cade Cunningham 25+ Points
Cade Cunningham has established himself as one of the league's premier playmakers, as he's averaged over nine assists in each of the last two years. Though he's averaging 17.2 potential assists per game in this series, his teammates haven't knocked down enough shots, and he's only averaging seven assists per night.
Cunningham's natural inclination is to pass, but he's had to take the scoring burden on himself in this series. In just his second playoff series, Cunningham is averaging 32.6 points per game, and he's scored at least 25 points in every outing. He's attempting 23 field goals per game and has a 36% usage rate.
Cunningham has gone over 30 points twice in this series, with 39 points in Game 1 and 45 points in Game 5. It's hard to expect another 45-point outing out of him on Friday.
However, the Magic have used Wagner as the primary defender on him in key stretches. In Game 4, Cunningham didn't make a field goal in the fourth quarter and scored just two points while Wagner was guarding him.
With Wagner sidelined again, the Magic may not have an answer for Cunningham.
Paolo Banchero 25+ Points
Banchero matched Cunningham with 45 points on Wednesday, but he might feel like he should've scored 50 points. He went just 5-for-12 from the free-throw line, as the Magic missed 14 freebies as a team.
Still, he's scored 23 points in three of the first five games while averaging 25.8 per night in the series.
Unfortunately for the Magic, they've needed to get used to playing without Wagner a lot this season. Wagner has missed 50 games, and Banchero has been available for 49 of them. Banchero has averaged 24.4 points per game without Wagner, while seeing a three percent increase in usage compared to when Wagner is available.
Banchero has scored 30 points in six of his last 10 games without Wagner. He's averaged 33.3 points in his last three games against the Pistons without Wagner.
Despite their second-ranked defense, the Pistons present a favorable matchup for Banchero because they commit a lot of fouls and he's adept at getting to the free-throw line.
While he's shooting just 64.8% from the free-throw line in this series, he's attempting 10 free throws per game.
The Correlated SGP: Cunningham & Tobias Overs, Magic Props
Tobias Harris Over 16.5 Points
As Banchero noted in his postgame presser, he and Cunningham have been battling since they were playing against each other in AAU.
While the battle of former No. 1 overall picks is the headliner in this series, Banchero has also been involved in a bit of a rivalry with Tobias Harris. The two have been trash talking each other all season and now have been battling for five games in this series.
Harris does his best to keep up with Banchero, and it's also a matchup against one of his former teams. Since re-joining the Pistons for his second stint, Harris has averaged 17.2 points in his last 11 games against the Magic. He's scored 17 points in eight of those games and 20 points in five of them. That includes each of the last three games.
Harris was added to the injury report with a left ankle sprain. He's listed as questionable, but it would be disastrous for the Pistons if he can't play. He's the only player other than Cunningham that can consistently generate offense in the half-court, and he's also picked up the slack for Jalen Duren in this series.
If Harris is a go, he'll be needed to help the Pistons force a Game 7 back in Detroit.
He has a 25% usage rate in this series while averaging 16 field goal attempts per game. That volume should him find his way to 17 points and more.
Desmond Bane Over 17.5 Points
With Duren being a non-factor offensively in this series, one advantage that the Magic have had in this series is having three main scorers compared to just two for Detroit.
Without Wagner, Bane elevates to the second option behind Banchero.
While the Magic may have caught some flack for how many firsts they needed to acquire him, Bane has proven his value in this series.
The 27-year-old is averaging 18.8 points in the series. He's scored 18 points in each of the last three games and also had 17 points in Game 1. He scored 47 points in the first two games in Orlando in this series.
When the Magic had Banchero, Wagner and Bane available in the regular season, Bane felt like a clear third wheel. Surprisingly, his usage rate doesn't change when both of them are available.
However, he does score three more points (21.4 PPG) when playing with Banchero and not Wagner. That includes a game of 25 points against the Pistons.
If Bane gets cooking tonight, it's likely from the perimeter. In Game 3, he tied a Magic franchise playoff record with seven 3-pointers made. He's knocked down at least four 3s in each of the last three games and in four of his last six games against the Pistons. Four 3s or more will also go a long way towards helping him approach 20 points tonight.
Same Game Parlay Building Blocks (+524)
- Cade Cunningham 25+ Points
- Paolo Banchero 25+ Points
- Tobias Harris Over 16.5 Points
- Desmond Bane Over 17.5 Points
Compounding Angle (+3499)
- Cade Cunningham 30+ Points
- Paolo Banchero 30+ Points
- Tobias Harris 20+ Points
- Desmond Bane 20+ Points
- Desmond Bane 3+ Threes Made
