Back from dead: Cunningham, Pistons complete impossible comeback to force Game 7 against Magic

The Pistons were dead in Orlando. Now they're very much alive, coming back to Detroit.

Down 24 early in the second half with their season on the line, the Pistons outscored the Magic 55-17 the rest of the way, including a 26-1 run to win Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals and force Game 7 on Sunday in Detroit.

The final: Detroit 93, Orlando 79.

The Pistons trailed 60-38 at halftime, marking the largest comeback from a halftime deficit in an elimination game in NBA playoff history. More history: the Magic set the NBA playoff record by missing 23 straight field goal attempts in the second half.

Cade Cunningham led the way back for the Pistons, scoring 19 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter -- when the Pistons outscored the Magic 31-8.

"Never say die," Cunningham told Amazon Prime on the court after the game. "Simple as that. Detroit grit -- it's what we've been talking about all year. That's a great job of staying with it and keep fighting."

After trailing 3-1 in the series, the 1-seed Pistons have clawed their way to a Game 7 on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena. They ramped up their signature defense in the second half of Game 6, holding the Magic to just 19 points on 4-for-37 shooting. The message at halftime, said Cunningham, was one of resilience.

"We dug ourselves a deep hole and it's time for us to climb our way out, and it's going to take everything. It's going to take putting our body on the line and digging deep, and that's what we've been doing," Cunningham said. "Thank god we get to take this back to the crib. It's going to be loud in Detroit, and we gotta finish off business now."

After they fell down 62-38, Pistons ripped off runs of 16-2, 26-1 and eventually an 11-2 spurt to seal it, highlighted by a three-pointer by Cunningham from the wing followed by a block at the other end by Ausar Thompson to put the Magic away. It was one of four blocks for Thompson, who had another strong game defensively.

Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris also hit big shots for the Pistons in the second half, combining for 36 points on the night. It was the kind of supporting effort on offense Detroit has been missing for most of the series.

Cunningham, Thompson and Harris all had double-digit rebounds for the Pistons, who won the battle on the glass in resounding fashion (52-38) for the second straight game.

Cunningham has refused to let the Pistons die. He poured in 45 points, a franchise playoff record, to lead the Pistons back from the brink in Game 5, and leveled up again down the stretch on Friday night.

"Just trusting my work, staying prayed up and relishing the moment," he said. "Not everybody gets the opportunity to have a challenge like this in life, so just trying to make the most of it."