MIAMI —The Detroit Pistons fell short in their quest for the Emirates NBA Cup championship. On Friday night, the Pistons lost 112-109 loss to the Orlando Magic at Little Caesars Arena, ending their In-Season Tournament run. With a 2-2 record, they finished third in East Group B, behind the Boston Celtics, who came in second. The Magic won the group with a 4-0 record.
“It was good for us. It’s always great to have the city come out as that,” Cade Cunningham said of the 20,000-plus at LCA. “In the locker room, we’re all upset with ourselves, the fact that we didn’t get this win. But we love to have our fans continue to come out like that, continue to support us like that, and we’ll be better moving forward.”
By not qualifying for the knockout rounds, the league added a pair of games to the Pistons’ 2025-26 regular-season schedule. The Pistons will host the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 12 and then travel to Boston to face the Celtics at TD Garden on Dec. 15. Both games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The Pistons’ elimination from the Emirates NBA Cup coincides with the team’s recent slump. After embarking on a 13-game winning streak, the Pistons have now dropped two consecutive games, including a road loss to the Celtics on Wednesday night.
They currently sit in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 15-4 record; however, their recent slippage has left them with just a one-game lead over the 14-5 Toronto Raptors, who are on a nine-game winning streak.