Magic-Pistons Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Nov 15 2012 3:33PM

The struggling Orlando Magic expect one of the two starters injured in their first contest to return for the opener of a three-game trip.

It appears the other will be sidelined longer than originally believed.

Mired in a five-game losing streak, the Magic hope Jameer Nelson's return can provide a spark Friday night against a Detroit Pistons team looking to build on its first win.

The season got off to an inauspicious start for Orlando (2-5), as Nelson strained both his groin and hamstring and Hedo Turkoglu broke his left hand in the opener.

The offense has become a mess without the two, averaging 76.5 points and shooting 26.5 percent from 3-point range over the last four contests, but there is some relief in sight with Nelson slated to return. The 2009 All-Star averaged 11.9 points, a team-high 5.7 assists and 36.8 percent 3-point shooting last season.

The Magic were hoping Turkoglu, who averaged 10.9 points and 4.4 assists last season, would be back by early December, but doctors determined Wednesday that he is expected to be sidelined an additional four weeks. Playing without the 6-foot-10 forward for an extended time obviously isn't ideal for Orlando, but it does give first-year coach Jacque Vaughn a chance to get rookie Maurice Harkless more minutes.

Harkless, the 15th pick of the draft, is coming off his best game, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocks off the bench in Tuesday's 99-89 loss to New York. Three of his blocks were on Carmelo Anthony.

"With Turk out that hurts us and we have to come together and hold it down until he comes back," Harkless said. "When he comes back, he'll play some minutes. But hopefully by that time the coaching staff will have more confidence in me. It's a good chance for me to gain their trust."

Vaughn has been shuffling his lineup due to the injuries, making J.J. Redick the starting shooting guard for the past two games and shifting Arron Afflalo to small forward. While Redick had a team-high 18 points and seven assists Tuesday, Afflalo scored 13 but was 4 of 14 from the field and committed seven of the team's 20 turnovers.

"We can't afford to make mistakes, but for me at the end of this game I was pretty proud of our guys and their effort," Vaughn said

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank also was pleased with his team's most recent effort, and for good reason because it came in a win - 94-76 over Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Detroit played nothing like a team that allowed an average of 101.5 points while being outrebounded by 7.5 per game during an 0-8 start. The Pistons limited the 76ers to 29.8 percent shooting while outrebounding them 57-38.

"We're disappointed in our start, but it wasn't like we had any doubt we were going to win a game," Frank said. "When we deserve to win, we'll win."

Greg Monroe had 19 points, a season-high 18 rebounds and six assists, and rookie Kyle Singler scored 16 in his first start for Detroit (1-8), which led by as much as 23.

"It shows what we're capable of doing," Frank said. "It's got to be a standard of how we play."

The Pistons have typically performed at a high level when facing the Magic. They've won three of the last four meetings overall and 12 of 15 in Detroit.

Redick leads Orlando past Detroit 110-106

Posted Nov 16 2012 11:13PM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) The Orlando Magic can shoot after all.

J.J. Redick scored 23 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 42.8 seconds left, and the Magic rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 110-106 on Friday night.

Arron Afflalo scored 19 and Jameer Nelson added 13 points and 10 assists for Orlando, which had each of its starters score in double figures. Glen Davis had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Nikola Vucevic finished with 11 points and 13 boards.

"This is great for our team," Davis said. "Our young guys played really well, and Nik finished strong."

The Magic began the day averaging just 88 points a game, with only the Indiana Pacers below them. But they got 66 in the second half against the lowly Pistons.

"That's a great team win," Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said. "The key was making stops in the second half, because that was why we were able to get so many good looks at the offensive end."

Orlando shot 55.8 percent from the floor in the second half, scoring 39 points in the fourth quarter alone.

"If you give up 39 points in a fourth quarter and 110 points in a game, you aren't going to win," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "Our offense did enough to win - you should win a game when you shoot 54 percent and score 106 points, but we didn't guard anyone."

Greg Monroe had 23 points for Detroit, which has dropped nine of its first 10 games. The Pistons were coming off a 94-76 victory at Philadelphia on Wednesday night that snapped a franchise-worst 0-8 start.

Detroit had six players score in double figures, including each of its starters. Tayshaun Prince had 18 points, Kyle Singler scored 14 and Brandon Knight contributed 10 points and 12 assists.

The teams traded baskets and the lead for most of the fourth quarter, but the Magic kept getting to the offensive boards and built a 101-97 advantage with 1:25 to go.

"As a leader, I knew I had to do more," said Davis, who finished with six offensive rebounds. "In order to win, I had to get every rebound and be in every play. I did not want to lose this game."

Jason Maxiell's three-point play made it a one-point game, and Singler hit two free throws to put Detroit up 102-101 with 47.7 seconds to go.

Redick then came off a screen to hit a 3, and Afflalo tied up Monroe to force a turnover at the other end.

"I just misread the play," said Singler, who was making his first career start. "I knew that there was going to be a screen, but I thought he was going the other way. By the time I could react, I got hit with the screen."

Davis made it a four-point game with a baby hook in the lane, and Redick clinched the game from the line.

Detroit led 50-44 at the half, then expanded the advantage early in the third by exploiting Prince's matchup with Afflalo. Prince dominated his former teammate in the post, scoring 10 points in the first four minutes of the half.

"Even when that was going on, we knew how this game was going to go," Frank said. "We were hitting baskets, but we weren't getting any stops. You could tell it was turning into a shootout, and that's not the type of game this team is going to win."

The Pistons built a 13-point lead, but Orlando rallied after Nelson gave a spirited pep talk during a timeout.

"We had to get more aggressive and do everything harder on defense," Nelson said after the game. "These guys know that I can lead, because they've seen the way I play, and I've been in the league long enough to know how to do it."

The Magic closed to 75-71 at the end of the third, and tied it at 85 on Redick's 3-pointer with 8:16 to play.

Afflalo was still guarding Prince down the stretch, but the Pistons never went back to him in the post.

"We scored 106 points, so I don't think our offense was the problem," Frank said. "If we're thinking about offense after a game like that, we've lost our focus."

NOTES: Nelson (hamstring) returned after missing Orlando's last six games. ... Corey Maggette made his home debut for Detroit, scoring seven points in 14 minutes. He missed the first eight games of the season with a leg injury before scoring nine points Wednesday in Philadelphia. ... Singler moved into the starting lineup, with struggling Rodney Stuckey coming off the bench. Stuckey finished with nine points in 21 minutes after a poor first half.

Notebook: Magic 110, Pistons 106

Dana Gauruder, For NBA.com
Posted Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:29 PM - Updated Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:29 PM

THE FACTS: J.J. Redick had 23 points, including a go-ahead 3-point shot with 42.8 seconds remaining, as the Orlando Magic snapped a five-game losing streak with a 110-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills Friday night. Glen Davis contributed 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson had 13 points and 10 assists as the Magic wiped out a 13-point, second-half deficit. Greg Monroe had 23 points and Tayshaun Prince added 18 for Detroit, which dropped to 1-9.

QUOTABLE: "We had to deliver our blow. We had to be more aggressive. We had to do everything harder and be tougher. We made some adjustments, set some screens, got guys open, put the ball in the right people's hands and made some big stops in the end."

-- Jameer Nelson on his team's comeback

THE STAT: 55.8. The Magic, averaging 88 points per game, scored 66 in the second half on 55.8 percent shooting. Redick scored 17 of his points after the break and Nelson, who missed the previous six games with hamstring and groin injuries, scored all of his 13 after halftime. Nelson and Redick also combined for nine of the Magic's 15 second-half assists.

TURNING POINT: After the Pistons took a 75-62 lead, the Magic went on a 27-11 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. Orlando got points from eight different players during the outburst, including a Redick 3-pointer that tied the game at 85-85 and two free throws that put his team on top.

QUOTABLE II: "He's a guy that, when he shoots, I think it's going in every single time. That's great confidence to have in him."

-- Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn on Redick.

HOT: Monroe continues to be one of the few bright spots for the Pistons. He's averaging 19 points and 10.6 rebounds over the last seven games. He scored 13 second-half points Friday but it still wasn't enough.

NOT: Detroit's backcourt players -- Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey, Kyle Singler and Will Bynum -- continually got broken down by Orlando's guards in half court sets during the second half. The Magic managed to rack up their 66 second-half points despite just four fast-break points.

GOOD MOVE: Nelson gathered his teammates together during a third-quarter timeout and his inspiring words sparked the run. They missed his leadership on and off the court during their five-game swoon. "He's our leader," Vaughn said. "No doubt about that."

BAD MOVE: Pistons coach Lawrence Frank stuck with his second unit too long when the Magic made their move. Four of his reserves played at least five minutes during the fourth quarter and he also ran out of timeouts in the late going.

NOTABLE: Detroit forward Corey Maggette grabbed his 4,000th career rebound during the second quarter. ... Brandon Knight had a double-double for the Pistons with 10 points and 12 assists, a career high. ... Center Nikola Vucevic also had a double-double for Orlando (11 points, 13 rebounds). ... The Magic had lost 12 of its last 15 at The Palace. ... Pistons rookie Kyle Singler made his second start at shooting guard, even though Rodney Stuckey returned to action after missing a game with flu-like symptoms. Singler had 14 points.

UP NEXT: For the Magic, Sunday @ Toronto, Monday @ Atlanta, Wednesday vs. Detroit. For the Pistons, Sunday vs. Boston, Wednesday @ Orlando, Friday vs. Toronto.

• Magic: Harrington, Turkoglu
• Pistons: English, Kravtsov

• Magic: --
• Pistons: --

• Lead Changes: 13
• Times Tied: 14

• Arena: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #20 Leroy Richardson, #11 Derrick Collins
• Attendance: 11594
• Duration: 2:13