Pistons 118, Magic 102
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Andre Drummond powered for 30 points and 14 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons stretched their winning streak to four games by thumping the Orlando Magic 118-102 on Wednesday at The Palace.
It was Drummond's second-highest scoring game of the season and three points shy of his career high.
Tobias Harris, playing his first game against his former team since Orlando traded him last month, supplied 18 points as seven Pistons reached double figures in scoring. Reggie Jackson surpassed the 4,000-point mark while scoring 16 points and handing out nine assists for Detroit (38-34).
Marcus Morris contributed 15 points, five rebounds and four assists to the winning cause. Darrun Hilliard, a second-round draft pick last summer, added 11 points, six rebounds and three assists in his first career start.
Elfrid Payton recorded his third career triple-double and first of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Magic (26-42), who have lost five straight and nine of their last 11. Orlando is assured of having its fourth straight losing season. Its most recent winning campaign was 2011-12, the last season current Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy coached the Magic.
Aaron Gordon tossed in 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Orlando.
Magic coach Scott Skiles went with a smaller lineup early in the third quarter to draw Drummond away from the basket. That move helped his team whittle Detroit's nine-point halftime advantage to three but the Pistons pushed it back to 13, 90-77, later in the quarter. Drummond used his size advantage to score 12 points in the quarter.
Harris hit a jumper just before the third-quarter buzzer to make it 96-87. The Pistons also scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, five from backup center Aron Baynes, for a 17-point lead. The lead remained in double digits the rest of the way.
Jackson and Morris scored 13 points each in the first half as the Pistons raced to a 66-57 halftime lead. Detroit was up by 18 in the opening quarter, but the Magic's bench gave their team a spark. Orlando's reserves had 35 points and 10 assists by halftime, with Payton and Jason Smith (12 points) contributing a combined 22 points and nine assists.
NOTES: Pistons SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and one of his backups, Reggie Bullock, were sidelined by illnesses. "It was a little bit ironic for Reggie Bullock because we decided if KCP's out, he would be the starter," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It would have been his first start of the year and then he gets sick on the same day." ... Magic C Nikola Vucevic missed his 10th consecutive game with a right groin strain. ... Detroit All-Star C Andre Drummond reached a career high on Monday with his 58th double-double. Isiah Thomas, who had 65 double-doubles in 1984-85, is the only Pistons player with more double-doubles in a season since 1983-84. ... The Magic have played 20 games decided by five points or less, going 7-13. ... The Pistons won the last four meetings. The teams face each other once more on April 6 in Orlando.