DETROIT — A year ago at this time, Tristan da Silva hardly saw the floor during Orlando‘s first-round playoff series against the Celtics.

This postseason, however, the second-year forward is not only part of the Magic’s rotation against the top-seeded Pistons but also contributed in a major way during Game 1 over the weekend.

After Pistons star Cade Cunningham made a pair of free throws to cut Detroit‘s deficit to four points with 6:48 left in the contest, da Silva sunk a 3-pointer from the right corner to put Orlando ahead by seven points roughly halfway through the final frame.

The Pistons never got within four points of the Magic against after da Silva’s shot late in Game 1. He remained humble about the moment.

“Honestly, I wasn’t really aware of the time and score that much to feel like that was a big shot or whatever,” da Silva told the Orlando Sentinel after shootaround Wednesday ahead of Game 2 at Little Caesars Arena. “If I get an open shot, I take it.”

The fourth-quarter play was made possible by Wendell Carter Jr., who moments earlier set a screen for Jalen Suggs on the left side of the wing. As Carter caught the ball around the free-throw line and made it appear as though he was heading toward the basket, Detroit’s Duncan Robinson (da Silva’s defender at the time) shifted toward the paint to help defend.

That’s when Carter kicked the ball out to da Silva for the open 3-pointer.

“I knew Tristan was open in that corner, and I trust Tristan 100 times out of 100 to make that shot,” Carter said. “So that’s another layer of it, just the trust factor that we have for one another to make the right play. Whether the ball goes in or not, it’s just trusting each other to do what’s best for the team.”

The shot represented da Silva’s only 3-pointer from Game 1, which he finished with seven points and four rebounds in 21 minutes of action.

Against the Celtics last year, he averaged 2.5 minutes per game in just two limited appearances.

“Even being really up close last year and being able to see the level of focus, the level of preparation that goes into it and the level of play that’s at hand (and now) being able to experience that firsthand and playing, it’s a fun experience,”  da Silva said.

“It’s the highest level of basketball, so everybody’s playing hard,” he added.

Game 3 between the Magic and Pistons is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Kia Center. The Magic said they are encouraging fans to wear black for Game 3 and blue for Monday’s Game 4.

Dallas on display

As the Magic and Pistons battle in the first round of the NBA playoffs, Anthony Black is facing off against former high school teammate Ron Holland II.

Black and Holland played together at Duncanville, which is located roughly 15 miles south of Dallas, and guided the Texas school to a state championship in 2022.

“It’s just something we always talked about — playing against each other or together in the league,” Black told the Sentinel. “So, it’s cool that we get to do that in the playoffs.”

Black and Holland aren’t the only names from the area in the series either. Although Cunningham finished his high school campaign at Montverde Academy in Central Florida, he started it at Bowie in his hometown of Arlington, Texas. There’s also Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins, who attended Hillcrest in Dallas.

Elsewhere in the East playoffs, there’s Sixers star Tyrese Maxey, who’s from Dallas and attended high school at South Garland. The list goes on.

“We feel like we’ve got one of the best groups of hoopers in the league,” Black said of the Texas natives. “You look all around these playoffs, it’s just a lot of dudes from Dallas playing real, impactful basketball.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic vs. Pistons, Game 3

When: 1 p.m., Saturday, Kia Center

TV: Peacock/NBC Sports Network