Magic at Pistons
The Detroit Pistons will be without point guard Reggie Jackson for at least the first month and, if the first game is any indication, will be eagerly anticipating his return. The Pistons will look for their first win when they host another team that did not get off to its preferred start in the Orlando Magic on Friday.
Detroit is relying on a combination of journeymen Ish Smith and Ben Udrih at the point guard spot with Jackson out and the two were a combined 4-of-15 shooting for 11 points and nine assists, but the biggest problem was on the defensive end. “Until we change defensively and on the boards from what we’ve done in these last two games, it really doesn’t matter what we do offensively,” Piston coach Stan Van Gundy, going all the way back to the preseason finale for reference, told reporters. “We don’t have a chance to win and be good if we’re not going to defend and rebound. And we didn’t do either tonight." The Magic can relate to struggles on the defensive end after allowing the Miami Heat to score 74 points in the paint in a 108-96 setback on Wednesday. "It’s not OK and it’s unacceptable,’’ Orlando forward Aaron Gordon told reporters. "Something that we need to do, man-to-man, is guard our own player better and understand what we want out of our defensive coverages."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE MAGIC (0-1): Orlando's interior defensive issues should be helped by center Bismack Biyombo, who will make his season debut on Friday after serving a one-game suspension in the opener. Biyombo broke out for the Toronto Raptors last season and turned it into a four-year, $72 million, free agent deal with the Magic. Biyombo will quickly try to find some chemistry with established center Nikola Vucevic and forward Serge Ibaka, who managed 14 points and seven rebounds in his team debut on Wednesday after being acquired in a draft night trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (0-1): Detroit was outrebounded 55-49 and allowed 54 points in the paint in its 109-91 loss to the Raptors. "They just punked us on the boards," Van Gundy told reporters. "So the rebounding was a major concern, 54 points in the paint was a major concern and 29 free-throw attempts, so that just means the team took it right at you. We have some offensive problems too, but we knew that was going to be a little bit of a struggle and we need to play better defense, and we didn’t." The Pistons went 4-of-22 from 3-point range in the loss, with the starting backcourt duo of Smith and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope going 0-of-7.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pistons have taken six straight in the series by an average of 15.5 points.
2. Magic SG Evan Fournier scored a team-high 20 points in the opener.
3. Detroit SF Tobias Harris scored a team-high 22 points in the opener and averaged 15.5 points in two games against the Magic last season after being acquired in a trade from Orlando.