Desmond Bane banked in a key 3-pointer with 1:16 remaining, and the Detroit Pistons’ offence again went cold in the fourth quarter as the Orlando Magic won Monday’s Game 4 94-88 to take a 3-1 series lead over the East’s No. 1 seed.

Orlando’s defence was dominant down the stretch again as Detroit went more than five minutes without a field goal late in the fourth quarter, placing the 60-win Pistons on the brink of elimination.

Ausar Thompson made a layup with 5:24 remaining, and the Pistons missed their next eight shots before getting an inconsequential tip-in with three seconds to go.

Bane’s late 3-pointer put the Magic up 92-86 as he finished with 22 points.

Franz Wagner scored 19 points before exiting in the second half with calf soreness, and Paolo Banchero had 18 points despite a rough shooting night.

Reserve Jamal Cain provided two electrifying highlights to energise the Orlando crowd in the fourth quarter. With under nine minutes remaining, Cain took an inbounds pass coast-to-coast, finishing with a thunderous dunk directly over Duren.

JAMAL CAIN ATTACKS THE RIM AND THROWS IT DOWN

A BIG-TIME POSTER JAM IN GAME 4! pic.twitter.com/oGxTm1uRpb

— NBA (@NBA) April 28, 2026

His second highlight was a tie-breaking tip dunk with under five minutes remaining. He finished with eight points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes.

Cade Cunningham had 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists but was 7 of 23 from the field, including 0 for 5 in the fourth quarter.

Tobias Harris added 20 points but missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Isaiah Stewart provided a spark off the bench with eight blocked shots in 17 minutes.

The series will shift to Detroit on Wednesday, with the Pistons needing three straight wins to avoid a first-round elimination.

Jokić stars as Nuggets force Game 6

Nikola Jokić posted a monster triple-double, and the Denver Nuggets punctuated a decisive third quarter with a 20-7 run to pull away from the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves in their 125-113 win to stave off elimination.

The Timberwolves still lead the series 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday night in Minnesota.

Jokić finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists while shooting 9 of 15 from the floor.

Jamal Murray had 24 points, seven assists and four steals, while Spencer Jones scored 20 points, starting in place of the injured Aaron Gordon.

Denver’s raucous crowd grew nervous as the Nuggets’ 27-point second-half lead shrunk to 10 points with 4:38 remaining, but they responded with a 10-2 run to put the game out of reach.

After Anthony Edwards (knee bone bruise) and Donte DiVincenzo (ruptured Achilles) were injured in Game 4, Minnesota struggled with guard play, committing 25 turnovers.

Live-ball turnovers were particularly costly for Minnesota, with Denver’s 16 steals fueling their 29 fast break points.

Julius Randle had 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Timberwolves but had five turnovers.

Game 4 hero Ayo Dosunmu had 18 points and four assists.

Thunder complete sweep of Suns

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points and eight assists, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein both had double-doubles, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 131-122 to sweep their first-round playoff series for the third consecutive year.

Phoenix remained competitive for much of the game, but Oklahoma City had a 20-5 run in the first quarter and an extended 30-14 stretch spanning halves to seize control.

Holmgren had 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Hartenstein added 18 points and 12 boards, including seven offensive rebounds.

Ajay Mitchell had 22 points and six assists as the Thunder await the winner of the matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets.

Devin Booker scored 24 points to lead the Suns, while Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green each scored 23.

A first-round sweep represents a disappointing end to a largely encouraging season for the Suns, who got back into the playoffs under first-year head coach Jordan Ott.