The Magic had to dig deep, as Tobias Harris said, as this road stretch of games came to an end. A brief trip home (one beautiful game) awaits before another quick trip on the road.
One more thing was left — playing the Detroit Pistons. And Orlando put on its finest offensive display in the 107-93 victory over Detroit on the road, marking the team’s third road win of the season and fifth overall.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
| Orlando | 107 | 116.8 | 60.1 | 16.2 | 12.3 | 19.0 |
| Detroit | 93 | 98.4 | 46.9 | 23.3 | 13.4 | 30.0 |
The Magic fought off run after run after taking control in the third quarter and adjusting to the Pistons’ front line. They delivered a really strong win in a game that teams that are maybe above the Magic’s level just win. Orlando is beating teams it is supposed to.
How did they do it?
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The Magic offense was absolutely incredible throughout the night. When a team is moving the ball like the Magic, it is going to be tough not to find a good shot and tough not to score a ton of points. Detroit probably should just tip its cap and move on. There was little chance to keep up at the end.
Orlando totaled a season-high 33 assists on 41 made field goals. The team made 51.9 percent of its shots and 13 of its 26 3-pointers. The high assist rate probably clues anyone in to how well the offense was working. But it really does not.
The Magic were cutting through the open space and moving the ball quickly. The Pistons were slow to react or simply could not react quick enough with the crispness and focus the Magic played with, especially in the second half.
Evan Fournier had eight assists to add to his 14 points and 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Luke Ridnour came off the bench to record six assists. Every player who came in the game had at least one assist and the Magic recorded 10 assists in the fourth quarter as the Magic pulled away.
As much frustration as there has been occasionally over the Magic’s offense, this is how the team wants things to run.
Again, the ball just moved smoothly and crisply. It found open shooters — Channing Frye, a big recipient of that with four 3-pointers in the second half. This is how the team needs to play. Just watch this tape over and over again.
Third Quarter Non-Collapse, and Collapse
The Magic entered the second half down three points. They were getting outrebounded and struggling to keep pace. The good ball movement was more keeping them in the game than winning it for them.
Something was going to give.
That would be the Magic’s struggles on the glass. Not the discipline to keep running the efficient offense they were running.
The Magic took control in the third quarter. They scored the first 10 points of the quarter and had the lead. Then Caron Butler happened, going on a long scoring run to get the Pistons back into the game. It seemed every time the Magic were trying to get some distance, the Pistons would have a run to quickly close the gap.
It was an odd quarter of runs, for sure.
But the Magic hung tough. They forced Josh Smith (seven points, 3-for-7 field goals) and Brandon Jennings into tough shots. Or at least the shots you want them taking. Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe‘s effectiveness was limited as the Magic swarmed the glass better in the second half. Vucevic often had help going after rebounds if he could not secure it cleanly with Drummond coming after him.
And the Magic offense kept humming along.
So what about Elfrid?
Noticeably, Elfrid Payton‘s minutes have decreased, particularly since Victor Oladipo returned. Oladipo was at 11 points and six rebounds on 3-for-5 shooting in this one. He continues to get more comfortable.
Payton played only 5:58 in just one stint in the first half. His final line was two points, one assist and a steal. Obviously in five minutes, that is not going to be a lot.
The thing is though, Payton is just the odd man out right now because Luke Ridnour is giving the team the best chance to win at the moment.
Ridnour had five points and six assists in the game. He brings a little bit more of a veteran poise and helps bring the game back under control. There is a savvy he has that Payton just does not have yet. And certainly, Payton is playing five games in seven nights for the first time in his career. There is an adjustment there that needs to take place too.
The Magic are winning right now and Ridnour has provided some calm and some stability to that second unit. For now, Vaughn is letting it ride.
Payton will get his way back into the rotation. He is too important to the franchise’s future to ignore for long stretches of the season. He will get his opportunities to learn. Right now, the Magic are playing some great basketball and Ridnour has been a big part of that.