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By John DentonApril 6, 2016
ORLANDO – Facing yet another foe in must-win mode because of heavy playoff implications, the Orlando Magic matched the necessary intensity and urgency and for much of the night looked more like the squad that was prepping for the postseason.
Then, a familiar issue – one that is a main root of why there will be no playoffs in Orlando for a fourth consecutive season – came back to bite the Magic in a frustrating fourth quarter.
Up as much as seven points in the final period, Orlando was unable to not only build upon its lead, but it couldn’t get the stops necessary to slow down the hard-charging Detroit Pistons. The result – a 108-104 victory for Tobias Harris and Detroit – was a familiar one for a Magic team that has been plagued all season by being unable to hang onto late leads.
Orlando (33-45) came into the game having won, four of five games with three of those wins coming against teams (Chicago, Indiana and Memphis) that are still in the heat of the playoff race. The only loss during the stirring run was a fourth-quarter faltering in Milwaukee after Orlando had fought its way to a five-point lead with 2 1/2 minutes to play.
On Wednesday, Orlando led 96-92 before Detroit (42-37) ripped off nine straight points to take control of the game and strengthen its bid for the No. 8 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Magic missed out on chances to trim the lead late when Elfrid Payton missed a layup at point-blank range and Nikola Vucevic missed the second of two free throws with 29 seconds to play. Evan Fournier got the Magic back within 103-102 with 18 seconds remaining with a three-point play, but Detroit guard Reggie Jackson (24 points) pushed the lead back out to three with 14 ticks left.
Fournier, who shook off a poor start and finished with 19 points, missed a 27-foot 3-point attempt with eight seconds to play.
The Pistons, who led by former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, swept the season series from Orlando, winning twice in suburban Detroit and on Wednesday at the Amway Center.
Payton was solid throughout with 17 points and five assists, while Nikola Vucevic (15 points and 13 rebounds), Andrew Nicholson (14 points and six rebounds) and Jason Smith (six points and nine rebounds) played well off the Magic bench. Orlando shot 47.8 percent, but made just four of 15 tries from 3-point range. The Pistons, by comparison, hit 45.3 percent of their shots, but drilled 11 3-pointers.
Victor Oladipo struggled through a five-of-13 shooting night and had 16. During Detroit’s game-turning 9-0 run, Oladipo had a turnover and an air-balled 3-point shot.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 18 points and hit a pull-up 3-pointer on the fastbreak that gave Detroit the lead at 97-96. The Pistons would not trail the rest of the way.
Wednesday’s game was the first back in Orlando for Harris since he was traded by the Magic to the Pistons on Feb. 16. Harris, who was dealt for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova, played with the Magic from February of 2013 to the midpoint of this season, was given a warm ovation during pregame introductions. Harris finished with 13 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes.
Vucevic was used off the bench at the start of the game, but he was moved back into the starting lineup to begin the second half. Skiles made the decision to keep Vucevic with the reserves in hopes of preserving Orlando’s recent rhythm. Also, the coaching staff is still trying to manage the minutes of Vucevic, who missed 13 straight games from March 7-30 because of a strained groin.
The Magic will be back in action on Friday when they host the Miami Heat at the Amway Center for the final time this season. The game is expected to attract a near capacity crowd. The two teams will then play again in Miami on Sunday night.
Up seven at the half, the Magic wobbled a bit in the third quarter, but they got it together in time to take a 77-73 advantage into the fourth. Fournier, who missed seven of his first eight shots, gave Orlando a huge boost in the third period with 12 points. During one stretch he made four straight shots and all four of his free throw attempts.
The first half was far from well-played by either team and Orlando finally broke free from some early sloppiness to take a 51-44 lead into the locker room at intermission. The Magic led largely because of a 31-26 advantage on the boards and 11 of those rebounds came off the offensive glass to set up 18 second-chance points in the game’s first 24 minutes.
As has been the case much of the past three weeks, Payton was aggressive and in attack mode. In the first half alone, Payton went at Detroit’s Reggie Jackson and compiled nine points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Smith has been Orlando’s most productive and consistent reserve all season, usually hurting teams with his jump shot. But on Wednesday he made a difference in other ways by compiling eight rebounds (three offensive), two assists and two blocked shots. During his eight minutes on the floor early on, Orlando outscored the Pistons by 12 points.
Vucevic was used off the bench yet again and made four of his first seven shots for eight first-half points. Nicholson continued his torrid offensive play of late, scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds in the first half.
Harris seemed to be forcing his shot at times against former teammates who knew his game well. Harris scored five points in the first half, but he had an air ball from 3-point range and his spinning post-up attempt blocked by Aaron Gordon.
