Ibaka ends Magic drought in Detroit
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Serge Ibaka piled up 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four blocks and three steals, and the Orlando Magic ended a seven-game losing streak to the Detroit Pistons with a 98-92 victory on Sunday at The Palace.
Nikola Vucevic supplied 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Magic (9-12), who hadn't defeated Detroit since Nov. 17, 2014. Jeff Green added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists and D.J. Augustin contributed 12 points and three assists for Orlando.
Marcus Morris scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the first half for the Pistons (11-11), who saw their three-game winning streak snapped.
Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson had 18 points and four assists in 23 minutes in his season debut. He had been sidelined since training camp with left knee tendinitis.
Andre Drummond added his 14th double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Ish Smith and Tobias Harris tossed in 11 points apiece.
The Magic led by 11 in the opening minute of the second half after an Augustin 3-pointer. The Pistons reeled off the next nine points but couldn't pull even. When Ibaka made a jumper with 3:24 left in the quarter, Orlando was once again up 11 at 76-65.
Detroit scored the last six points in the quarter to make it 78-73.
Vucevic's jump hook with 9:11 left re-established a double-digit advantage at 86-76. Ibaka's 3-pointer midway through the quarter made it 90-80.
The Pistons, who trailed by as much as 13 in the quarter, cut their deficit to five on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's 3-pointer with 40 seconds left. Green's off-balance shot 20 seconds later sealed Orlando's win.
Ibaka had 16 points, five rebounds and three assists by halftime, lifting the Magic to a 58-50 lead. Green provided a spark with 12 points off the bench. Morris was the Pistons' main source of offense with 16 points, with 14 coming in the first seven minutes.
Jackson made the first shot of the game -- a 3-pointer -- and finishd with half with seven points.
NOTES: Pistons G Reggie Bullock will miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery on Saturday to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. ... The return of starting PG Reggie Jackson leaves Beno Udrih the odd man out in the Detroit rotation. Udrih was claimed off waivers from Miami just before the season opener. "He's played really, really well," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He knew coming in exactly what the situation was. It wasn't anything that was hidden from him." ... The Magic entered the game ranked second-to-last in both points and field-goal percentage. ... Detroit C Andre Drummond made 47.4 percent of his free throws attempts through the first 21 games, an improvement over his historically low 35.5 percent foul shooting last season. "He doesn't look afraid to go to the foul line," Van Gundy said. ... Orlando C Arinze Onuaku was inactive.