Magic stun Pistons as Thunder, Celtics roll

LOS ANGELES — The Orlando Magic stunned the Detroit Pistons, 112-101, on Sunday as the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics opened the NBA playoffs with lopsided victories.

Orlando’s road win stood out most on the opening day, with the Magic overturning Detroit’s top-seeded status in the Eastern Conference after coming through the play-in tournament to secure a playoff berth.

The Thunder, who are trying to become the first team since Golden State in 2017 and 2018 to repeat as NBA champions, came out firing in a 119-84 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

The Celtics, seeded second in the East behind Detroit, dominated the Philadelphia 76ers, 123-91, in a wire-to-wire win.

San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama also delivered a triumphant playoff debut, scoring 35 points as the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 111-98.

Oklahoma City looked rested and recharged after a week off since locking up the Western Conference top seed and the best record in the league.

Detroit, by contrast, appeared rusty in its playoff opener, and Orlando took advantage of that slow start.

Paolo Banchero scored 23 points to lead the Magic.

Franz Wagner added 19 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as Orlando closed strongly.

Detroit star Cade Cunningham poured in 39 points in defeat.

The Pistons trailed by as many as 13 in the first quarter.

Detroit also fell behind by 11 early in the third quarter.

A Cunningham three-pointer tied the game midway through the third, but the Magic quickly regained control and pulled away again.

“I liked our composure the whole game, our energy,” Wagner said after the Magic handed the Pistons an 11th straight home playoff defeat, a skid dating back to 2008.

The result extended a troubling postseason trend for Detroit on its home floor, even after the Pistons’ strong regular season earned them the top seed in the conference.

“(We) just didn’t come out with the right energy, gave them life early on,” Cunningham said. “Then we had to deal with that for the rest of the game.”

Cunningham said the Pistons remain confident they can recover in the best-of-seven first-round series.

“There’s no confidence drop from us,” he said. “It’ll be a long, fun series.”

In Oklahoma City, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 25 points.

Gilgeous-Alexander made just five of his 18 shots from the field.

He made 15 of his 17 free throw attempts.

He also contributed seven assists and two blocked shots before sitting out the entire fourth quarter.

Jalen Williams added 22 points for Oklahoma City.

Chet Holmgren chipped in 16 points for the Thunder.

Devin Booker scored 23 points for Phoenix.

Outside of Booker, the Suns were largely neutralized by Oklahoma City’s defense.

“It was a great defensive performance,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We forced them to earn everything.”

In Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 51 points as the Celtics controlled the game from start to finish against Philadelphia.

Tatum led the way with 25 points.

He scored 21 of those 25 points in the first half.

Brown finished with 26 points.

He scored 16 of his 26 points in the third quarter alone.

Tatum said his playoff return carried added meaning after the uncertainty surrounding his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in last year’s playoffs.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Tatum, whose unexpected late-season return from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in last year’s playoffs has plenty of pundits picking Boston, not Detroit, to emerge from the East.

“Not too long ago I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to play this season, let alone get an opportunity to play in the playoffs.”

That comeback has strengthened Boston’s case as a serious contender in the East, with some observers now favoring the Celtics over top-seeded Detroit.

In San Antonio, the second-seeded Spurs led by as many as 16 points on the way to a 59-49 halftime advantage.

Portland, behind Deni Avdija’s 30 points and 10 rebounds, cut the deficit to two early in the third quarter.

San Antonio responded by pulling away again and rewarded a home crowd that had waited since 2019 to see the five-time champion franchise return to the playoffs.

Wembanyama’s 35-point performance capped a landmark day for the Spurs star.

Earlier Sunday, Wembanyama joined Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Nikola Jokic as a finalist for regular-season MVP honors.

“We were solid, but job’s not done,” said Wembanyama, underscoring San Antonio’s focus as the series moves forward.