Pistons at Magic
Detroit has been a bad basketball team but it sure did look pretty good while delivering a beating on LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. The Pistons will look for their third consecutive victory when they visit the Orlando Magic on Tuesday and they should be brimming with confidence. Detroit knocked down a franchise-record 17 3-pointers and dominated Cleveland in every facet of the game while registering an easy 103-80 win.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy worked from the Magic sideline from 2007-12 and Tuesday’s game marks his first coaching visit back to Orlando since concluding that stint. The Magic have won back-to-back games, including a 102-101 win over the Miami Heat on Monday as center Nikola Vucevic scored 26 points and guard Victor Oladipo scored 22, including the deciding free throw with 6.6 seconds left. Orlando is beginning a three-game homestand but is just 4-9 in familiar surroundings.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (13-21): Oladipo has regained his stroke and is 13-of-21 shooting over the last two games after being just 7-of-29 over the previous two contests. The second-year pro has five 20-point games this month as he continues to be more of an offensive force. Forward Tobias Harris had 18 points against Miami and has been a consistent force by scoring in double figures in all 32 games in which he has played.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (7-23): Detroit has won two consecutive games since releasing forward Josh Smith and the team is hoping it is the beginning of a sharp turnaround. “I think Friday night (against Indiana) was our best game of the year and (Sunday) was better,” Van Gundy told reporters. “So, we’ve played our two best games of the year back-to-back, but we’ll see. It’s just two games. We’ve got a long way to go, but (Sunday) was a step forward.” Guard Brandon Jennings scored 25 points against the Cavaliers and he described a peaceful atmosphere afterwards: “Everyone just has a free mind, no pressure.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Orlando won the first meeting 107-93 on Nov. 17 with Vucevic contributing 25 points and 14 rebounds.
2. Magic SG Ben Gordon is 6-of-10 from 3-point range over the past three games.
3. Pistons C Andre Drummond had 16 points and 17 rebounds against Cleveland for his 16th double-double of the campaign.