Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 116, Detroit Pistons 112
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.
116. 38. Final/OT. 112. 64
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.
A. Markelle Fultz was the aggressor all night long and he did it without turning the ball over once. You could not have asked for anything more from the young ball handler. He finished with style on the offensive end and kept <a rel=. PG. Orlando Magic. MARKELLE FULTZ
Aaron Gordon also had one of his better games of the season as he was a facilitator early, collecting assists in the early game and pocketing points later on when the team needed him to be a scorer.<p>He hit the clutch shots when the Orlando Magic needed a bucket getter. His two threes late in the game might not have been good earlier in the season when he was lacking in confidence. But Gordon is playing at a very high level at the moment.</p><p>He only had one turnover in the game and did not force anything on the offensive end tonight. He also had a great shooting night overall, shooting 3 for 4 from three and hitting all six of his free throws. Gordon finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. He is averaging 17.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in his last 10 games.</p>. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON. A
B. It was a typically good night for the Orlando Magic’s star player as Nikola Vucevic almost finished with a triple-double at 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Without Andre Drummond, one would think the Magic would have looked to Vucevic more than they did, but the opportunities were not there and the team looked to <a href=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
MICHAEL CARTER-WILLIAMS. B-. This might be a strange player to grade in this game for most people since he did not contribute a single point. But <a rel=. PG. Orlando Magic
A-. The Detroit Pistons know how the Orlando Magic feel offensively. Since trading Andre Drummond, the Pistons have struggled to hit shots, failing to pass 95 points in two of the three games since the trade. Like the Magic on Monday, the Pistons needed a pick-me-up and a reminder of how dangerous they can be from deep.<p>Detroit got off to a slow start and it looked like the team would get run out of the gym. But the Pistons deserve credit for attacking a Magic defense that started to relax. It is easy to get back into a game when you hit 18 3-pointers. But it is difficult to get them unless the defense is giving them up.</p><p>That was made worse only by the energy the Pistons got from Christian Wood (26 points, 12 rebounds), <a rel=. 19-38. 12th East. DETROIT PISTONS
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.
Next. Orlando Magic hold on to Fournier to keep team alive. dark
The Orlando Magic will return from the All-Star Break next Friday at home against the Dallas Mavericks.