MVN - Most Valuable Network

Magic silence the Pistons

The Detroit Pistons last loss came nearly a month ago at the hands of the Orlando Magic, who won after Rashard Lewis knocked down a jump shot as time expired to defeat Detroit 102-100. After the loss, Detroit went on a tear, winning 10 games in a row. It again was Orlando who acted as the thorn in Detroit’s side, as the Magic put the Pistons’ win-streak to an end, but this time the win came a lot more easily.

The Magic stunned the Pistons in front of a sold-out crowd at the Palace, winning 103-85. The game was close in the beginning, as the Pistons controlled the game, leading 25-20 after the first quarter. In the second quarter however, Orlando started to get and never really cooled off.

Orlando outscored Detroit 32-20 in the second quarter, largely due to a well balanced attack (6 different players scored), including three 3-pointers made. It was the third quarter that took the game from close to out of control.

The Magic couldn’t miss in the third, and their defense was impeccable, outscoring the Pistons 31-17. The Pistons had just three field-goals in the quarter and by the end of the third, Detroit was starting to rest its starters and was waving the white flag.

Like Orlando’s win over Denver before the All-Star break, every player bought into their role and did exactly what was asked of them. Dwight Howard had a single-single, a rarity for him, as he put up 8 points and 8 boards. He did however have 5 blocks and altered a lot of shots down, exactly what Coach Van Gundy was preaching last week. Orlando is now 23-2 when Dwight has more than 3 blocks.

Lewis continued to attack the basket and it again paid off, as he finished with a game-high 20 points. Hedo Turkoglu also had a subpar night, putting up just 12 points, but he did a solid job on D. Jameer Nelson was quiet, but had zero turnovers. Maurice Evans also had steady D and also contributed on offense with 16 points.

Where Orlando extended the gap was on the bench, as Keith Bogans was 6 of 8 from the floor, giving him 19 points on the night. Keyon Dooling also helped out on O, dropping 11 points.

This was Orlando’s first win in Detroit since 2004, when the Magic finished with just 21 wins..how far they have come.

With the win, Orlando makes a statement, showing that with rest and relaxation, they can be as good as any team in the East. With just 7 games left against teams with plus .500 records, Orlando has a good chance of catching up with the likes of Detroit and Boston.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 10:09 pm and is filed under Orlando Magic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.