The Orlando Magic withstood a 3-point barrage from the Detroit Pistons with some timely and clutch shooting for their first overtime win of the season.
At first, it was looking like it was going to be smooth sailing into the All-Star Break. But this one was not easy for the Orlando Magic. When is it ever?
In the team’s first overtime game of the season, the Orlando Magic took home a 116-112 victory over a resilient Detroit Pistons team after leading by as many as 22 points in the first half and then coming back from a seven-point deficit in the final five minutes.
The team was led by clutch shooting late by Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic as Gordon made two three-pointers to make the game 101-100 and then tied the game at 103 apiece. Nikola Vucevic made a three-pointer to give the team a lead with just more than five seconds left in regulation. The ball bounced four times on the rim, hanging in the air before finally dropping though.
The Magic thought that would be enough to give them the win.
But Langston Galloway had other plans.
He hit a big-time three of his own with just more than a second remaining to force the game into overtime.
From there, the Magic played with an edge as Markelle Fultz hit a 15-footer to give the team a lead, Evan Fournier hit one of two free throws and a field goal, and then Markelle Fultz iced the game with one of two free throws after Aaron Gordon won a jump ball after a missed three-pointer attempt from Langston Galloway to tie the game.
Fultz was excellent all game long as he finished with 22 points, 10 assists and, most importantly, zero turnovers. He got the game going early with seven quick points in the first four minutes. The Magic made 11 of their first 13 shots, shooting the ball extremely well early and pacing themselves to a 22-point lead into the second quarter.
But the Pistons fought their way back through a career performance from Christian Wood, who finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. The Pistons shot 45 three-pointers on the night. With the recent trade of Andre Drummond, they had little reason to move the ball into the post, so they let it fly and did it often, making 18 of those 45 tries.
The Pistons finally fought their way into the lead, going on a 15-2 run to start the fourth quarter.
The Magic were down by seven with five minutes to go in the game, but big plays from Gordon sparked a comeback. He finished the game with a team-high 25 points to go along with nine assists and nine rebounds. He was aggressive going to the basket and four of those nine rebounds were offensive.
On the bench, Khem Birch was the backup center in place of Mo Bamba, who did not play after falling ill with the flu. Khem Birch displayed great energy finishing with eight points, all from dunks, as well as a block.
If one was a Magic fan watching this game, this one was very stressful, but for a neutral, this was an entertaining game filled with a little bit of everything. The Magic looked like a team that could fight back and deal with adversity, and the team did that tonight.
The Orlando Magic enter the All-Star Break at 24-31. They are two games behind the Brooklyn Nets for seventh in the Eastern Conference and three games ahead of the Washington Wizards for the final spot in the playoffs.
The Orlando Magic will return from the All-Star Break next Friday at home against the Dallas Mavericks.