Magic at Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are battling the Chicago Bulls for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference and have won three straight to stay locked in a virtual tie for the final playoff spot. The Pistons will try to make it four straight on Wednesday when they host the Orlando Magic, who have been giving teams fighting for playoff position in the East an easy time during a four-game slide.
Detroit managed to keep pace with the Bulls on Monday thanks to a pair of missed free throws from Milwaukee guard Jerryd Bayless and Andre Drummond’s go-ahead tip-in in the final seconds of a 92-91 victory. “We always fight a little harder down the stretch, everybody does,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters. “We need to bring it more consistently. Hopefully, we will.” The Magic fell to the Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics in their last four games – all teams likely headed to the playoffs out of the East – by an average of seven points. “It’s real tough to keep losing like this,” Orlando guard Victor Oladipo told reporters. “We have to help ourselves out there and we can’t have mental mistakes. We have little room for error and we’ve got to be crisper at the end of games.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE MAGIC (29-41): Orlando is on the verge of clinching its fourth straight losing season but is still trying to win and continues to put itself in position at the end of games. “We played hard and we were in there scrapping for it at the end again, but they made the plays and we didn’t,” Magic coach Scott Skiles told reporters after Monday’s 107-96 loss in Boston. “It’s frustrating, but you know going into a game like this if it’s going to be close at the end that (Celtics guard) Isaiah (Thomas) is going to try and take over and score, and you have to then either go right down and score yourself or somehow, someway get a stop.” Orlando will have more chances to impact the race with games against Miami, Chicago and Indiana coming up through the end of the month.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (37-34): Detroit is getting a big lift from forward Tobias Harris, who arrived in a trade from the Magic before the deadline. The 23-year-old is averaging 16.6 points on 48.4 percent shooting – up from 13.7 points on 46.4 percent shooting in 49 games for Orlando - and is fully on board with his new team’s drive toward the playoffs. “It’s a big game for us,” Harris told reporters after Monday’s tight win. “Every game from here on out are big games for us. We need every single one, win or lose it’s going to affect us and it’s going to affect the seeding, so we need every game.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pistons G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is 3-of-15 from 3-point range in the last two games.
2. Orlando F Aaron Gordon is 10-of-31 from the field in the last four games.
3. Detroit has taken four straight in the series by an average of 18.3 points.