Magic Pistons Basketball

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) celebrates with forward Paolo Banchero (5) after a win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Detroit.

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Road teams pushing back in early days of NBA playoffs, stealing away the home-court advantages

Road teams pushing back in early days of NBA playoffs, stealing away the home-court advantages

The first six games in this season’s playoffs all had something in common. The home teams all prevailed, winning by an average of 18.5 points per game. And since then, chaos. Road teams figured out how to avoid being pushovers. Of the six first-round series that have completed two games, only two higher-seeded teams — Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers — have managed to hold serve at home and take 2-0 series leads. Oklahoma City could join the Cavaliers and Lakers in that club if it beats Phoenix in Game 2 of that series on Wednesday.