DETROIT -- Jalen Suggs snuck up on Cade Cunningham and picked off a pass from Tobias Harris before taking it down court for a thunderous two-handed dunk that was punctuated by a scream.
Less than four minutes into Game 1, the Orlando Magic let the Detroit Pistons know they were not afraid of the Eastern Conference's top seed and that they were going to give the Pistons a taste of what they do to their opponents.
With Suggs setting the tone by flying all over the court and scoring 11 points in the first quarter, the Magic came into Detroit and stunned the Pistons 112-101 to take a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.
"I think everybody knows we got a really talented team," said Franz Wagner, who scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to hold off a late Pistons charge. "Obviously we didn't have the regular season that we wanted, but that's our goal. And I think we show today that we belong here."
The Magic clearly have discovered their game over this weekend. On Friday, they destroyed the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 in a play-in game, using stifling defense, physicality on both ends and a connected swagger that had been missing for much of the season.
"We found something against Charlotte with our defense and our energy and our communication," Orlando star forward Paolo Banchero said.
Suggs' early steal and dunk came during a 15-2 run that pushed Detroit down 18-5 in the first quarter. Cunningham did all that he could to get Detroit back into the game, scoring 39 points. He hit a 3 that tied the score at 65-65 in the third quarter, but the Magic just kept answering every Detroit push.
The Pistons looked like a rusty team that had been off for a week but also one that wasn't expecting the Magic to punch them first.
"Just not coming out ready to play," Detroit forward Ausar Thompson said. "They came out and they hit us first. So, we have to do a better job of coming out and hitting them first and executing our coverages better."
Banchero helped Suggs with setting the tone early. He scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half and often made the right play against Detroit's defense, refusing to settle for outside shots.
Since shooting 7-for-22, including 0-for-5 from 3, with six turnovers in a play-in loss to Philadelphia last Wednesday, Banchero has shot a combined 17-for-32, including 4-for-10 from 3, and scored 25 and 23 points with a total of five turnovers in the Magic past two wins.
"I thought Paolo's dominance in his approach to the game was excellent," Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley said. "His voice, his command on the floor, his court presence was special. I think that's how the team follows. When he has that presence, it's something to be seen. His aggression downhill, attacking, stepping into a shot with a high level of confidence, finding the matchups that he wanted."
The Magic packed the paint and didn't give up much to All-Star center Jalen Duren, who finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
A bright spot for the Pistons is that Cunningham said he felt good in his first playoff game since suffering a collapsed lung March 17. Cunningham played 40 minutes in his fourth game back since sitting out 11 straight.
"I really felt great," said Cunningham, who hit 13 of 27 shots. "It's been a lot of time in between today and the injury for me now. I've had great preparation -- training staff, weight room staff -- everybody's put a lot of time in with me. There was a stint towards the end [of the game] that I was a little tired. I came out for a minute or two, coach got me a break, and then after that, I felt good to finish the game."
The problem for Cunningham and the Pistons is how good the Magic are feeling at the moment. They're playing their best basketball at the right time.
"Well this a new season," Mosley said. "We have talked about this a lot with these guys. Whatever story you told yourself during the regular season, that story is done. Now it's the playoffs. It's an entirely new season."