Pistons vs. Magic prediction, odds, line, Game 1 time: 2026 NBA playoff picks for Sunday

Key Points:

• The 2026 NBA playoffs Eastern Conference first-round series begins Sunday with No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons (60-22) facing No. 8 seed Orlando Magic (46-38) at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.
• The Magic secured the eighth seed by decisively defeating the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Play-In Tournament; both teams split their four regular-season matchups evenly.
• Key injuries include Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac (knee) out and Desmond Bane (illness) listed as available; Detroit is favored by 8.5 points with an over/under of 221.5 points.
• The SportsLine Projection Model, which has a strong track record on NBA betting picks, simulated the game 10,000 times and projects the total points to go under 221.5, with a combined score around 211 points and only one player expected to score over 20 points.
• The model favors the Under bet due to Detroit’s strong defense (second-best defensive rating) and Orlando’s solid defensive performance in the play-in game, suggesting the Under hits about 68% of the time, making it a recommended bet for NBA parlay players.