Orlando Magic opened its first-round series with a 112-101 Game 1 victory over the Detroit Pistons, a result that may have been unexpected externally but was fully believed in by the team itself.
“I think everybody knows we have a really talented team,” forward Franz Wagner said. “Obviously, we didn’t have the regular season that we wanted, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
“I think we showed (Sunday) that we belong here and it has to be consistent, though. One game doesn’t win the series. That’s got to be our mindset going forward.”
Head coach Jamahl Mosley pointed to his team’s recent activity as a contributing factor, noting that playing two play-in tournament games while the Pistons rested may have helped build momentum.
“They’ve been off. We found a little bit of rhythm playing so many games, so that always plays a part in it,” he said. But I’m still just happy that our guys came out and defended the right way.
“We were intentional in how we executed our offense. I think those are the things that we talked about being able to do against a great team like this.
“How they turn you over, how they defend, how they rebound the basketball – all those small things within the game. I was happy that we accomplished that with this group.”
Magic Notes: Game 1 Upset, Wagner, Banchero, Expectations, Suggs, Bane https://t.co/vTkzSpd3u9 pic.twitter.com/5DUvmprtK1
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 20, 2026
