Magic at Pistons
The Detroit Pistons look to take advantage of a favorable schedule over the next 23 days with the first of nine home games in that span when they host the Orlando Magic on Monday. Detroit dropped four of its last five contests and will attempt to find answers on the offensive end where it are 29th in the league in shooting percentage at 41.8. Orlando has showed signs of improvement since a 0-4 start -- winning four of its last seven -- and Victor Oladipo is back in the lineup.
Oladipo recorded 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in Saturday’s 98-93 loss at Washington after scoring 13 in his season debut. The 2013-14 Rookie of the Year runner-up should be pestered by Detroit’s backcourt trio of Brandon Jennings, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and D.J. Augustin. The Pistons have defended fairly well and are among the league leaders in rebounding, but coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters, “It’s a consistency issue.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE MAGIC (4-7): Oladipo, who missed the first nine games with facial fractures and is wearing a protective mask, supplanted rookie Elfrid Payton in the starting lineup Saturday. Tobias Harris has made 18-of-29 from the field and grabbed 18 rebounds in his last two games and is second on the team in scoring overall at 17.9, just behind center Nikola Vucevic (18.2). The Magic will be shorthanded with rookie Aaron Gordon (broken foot) out indefinitely and Luke Ridnour (personal reasons) is questionable.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (3-7): Jennings (16.2 points), Caldwell-Pope (11.7) and Augustin (10.3) have all contributed on the offensive end, but are shooting under 40 percent combined. Power forward Greg Monroe is off to a strong start for the Pistons, averaging a team-high 16.8 points along with 10.8 rebounds while shooting 51.4 percent from the field. Josh Smith (13.8 points, 7.9 rebounds) takes the most shots per contest on the team (15.6) and is making 36.5 percent of them – well below his career mark of 45.8.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Magic went into Sunday’s games second in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (43.1), led by G Evan Fournier (24-of-47, 51.1).
2. Detroit C Andre Drummond has recorded 19 points combined in the last four games after scoring in double figures five of the first six games.
3. Vucevic is among the league leaders in rebounding (11.5) and double-doubles (seven).