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Offense an issue in Pistons’ 102-89 loss to Magic

By Brenden Welper

The Orlando Magic's Elfrid Payton (2) drives against the Detroit Pistons' Ish Smith (14) in the first half at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. The Magic won, 102-89. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images)
The Orlando Magic's Elfrid Payton (2) drives against the Detroit Pistons' Ish Smith (14) in the first half at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. The Magic won, 102-89. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images) /
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Reggie Jackson’s absence was evident in the Detroit Pistons’ (19-15) 102-89 loss to the Orlando Magic (12-24) Thursday night. Detroit failed to establish an offensive rhythm in the second half. Tobias Harris led all scorers with 21 points on 8 for 17 shooting.

The Detroit Pistons got their first taste of life without Reggie Jackson – and it was a bitter one.

Detroit’s sour play cost them, and they fell to the Orlando Magic 102-89 Thursday night at the Amway Center.

Elfrid Payton led the way for the Magic, who snapped a nine-game losing streak. He finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Tobias Harris scored 21 points to lead the Pistons. Andre Drummond posted 17 points and 18 rebounds, giving him an NBA-best 24 double-doubles on the season.

Next man up

Ish Smith got the start at point guard in place of the injured Jackson. He provided his usual brand of up-tempo basketball. Smith scored 18 points on 9 for 18 shooting, while adding seven rebounds and five assists.

His pace helped spark a 14-0 Pistons run late in the second quarter.

An Aaron Gordon three-pointer with 5:06 remaining in the half gave Orlando a 46-36 lead. Pistons’ head coach Stan Van Gundy then called a timeout.

Detroit responded by scoring the next 14 points. Eight of them came from Smith, including a beautiful reverse layup with 2:05 to play.

Orlando mustered a quick four points to tie the game, 50-50, at halftime.

Second half collapse

There were several lead changes in third quarter. Smith’s jump shot at the 4:44 mark gave the Pistons their largest lead, 67-62.

But Orlando slowly chipped away with a 33-point contribution from their bench. Detroit’s reserves finished with just 12 points.

Forward Marreese Speights (16 points) eventually found his outside touch.  He scored nine points in just over two minutes to close out the third period. The Magic reclaimed the lead 77-73.

Speights opened the fourth quarter with another triple, and the Pistons trailed by seven.

They wouldn’t draw any closer.  Detroit fell victim to a number of bad possessions, many of them caused by a lack of ball movement. Stanley Johnson, Luke Kennard, and Langston Galloway shot a combined 6 for 25 from the floor.

With 4:22 left, Payton found Gordon underneath the basket for an emphatic alley-oop slam. Judging by the Pistons’ body language, that play appeared to be the dagger.

Orlando cruised to victory, and outscored the Pistons 25-16 in the fourth quarter.

Detroit will look to get back on track this Saturday night when they host the San Antonio Spurs. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 pm on Fox Sports Detroit.

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