The Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic meet Thursday night at 7:00 in Little Caesar’s Arena in-game that will only help sort of the mayhem that is the Eastern Conference seeds, specifically numbers six through 10.
The Detroit Pistons have been complicated lately. Watching them sink and rally against the Denver Nuggets was an emotional roller-coaster for any fan that’s been counting on the Pistons making the 2019 NBA Playoffs. After dropping a couple of important games and going 1-4 since last Monday, Detroit’s first battle back home is against the Orlando Magic, who sit only half a game behind the Pistons in the east.
The Orlando Magic, on the other hand, have won their last six and are coming into LCA hot. On the back of Nikola Vucevic’s 24 points and 16 rebounds, Orlando leapfrogged the Miami Heat for the eighth seed in the east in an emotional night for South Beach as the squad rose Chris Bosh’s jersey into the rafters. They aren’t just chasing the last remaining seed in the NBA Playoffs. According to the team’s website, Vucevic sees more opportunities available to Orlando than being the last team to the party.
“We’ve fought for this all year and now we control our own destiny,” Vucevic told the team’s website. “Now, it’s on us to do what is necessary to stay there and keep us in that top eight and maybe even go for more. The teams in front of us aren’t that far away, so maybe we can even do more (by moving up in the standings).”
The Brooklyn Nets and the Detroit Pistons are those teams in front of the Magic that Vucevic feels confident Orlando can make a play for – the Pistons being the first hurdle to overcome as they sit in the seventh-seeded position in the eastern conference. There are a few things Detroit must do to overtake Orlando and create space between their postseason dreams and being out of contention altogether.
Nikola Vucevic v. Andre Drummond
The Detroit Pistons lead the season-series against the Orlando Magic, 2-1, heading into Thursday night’s game. In Magic’s sole win against the Pistons, a last-second shot from Evan Fournier dictated the outcome and left a tinge in Detroit’s stomach as they left the court. One constant against Orlando has been Andre Drummond’s influence on the three game they have featured in against the Magic.
His rebounding has been otherworldly this season in general but he has averaged 18.7 boards against Vucevic and Orlando. Controlling the rebounds for the game is something that Vucevic is tasked with and that leaves a huge responsibility on his shoulders to try to keep Drummond from leaving his mark all over this game.
In the same breath, the Detroit Pistons’ center has a daunting task on his back keeping Vucevic’s production down as he has logged an average of 22.6 points and 12.4 rebounds in March. These two players are headliners at the forefront of their franchises and have similarly potent skill sets that will clash under the rim at tip-off Thursday night.
Comeback Kids
Both the Orlando Magic and the Detroit Pistons have had recent game struggles going down big early. Most recently against the Miami Heat, Orlando found themselves down by 17 in the second quarter against the Heat, a game in which they subsequently battled back to trap the eighth seed from South Beach.
The Detroit Pistons, in their bout against the Denver Nuggets, allowed a 27-point deficit before swinging back and ultimately losing the game by three points. As much as Dwane Casey has lamented the team’s early-game efforts throughout the season, the Pistons continue to grapple with the concept even as the postseason is pretty much among them.
It’s not conducive to anyone’s effort if Detroit misses their first eleven shots as they did against the Denver. With the fire in their belly and the taste of the seventh seed trailing closely behind, it doesn’t seem likely that a player like Evan Fournier – who has averaged 17.5 points on 51.9 percent field-goal shooting during their six-game win streak – is going to make it easy for Detroit to claw their way back into the contest.
Three-Point Shooting
The Detroit Pistons can make you clap and cry with their three-point shooting trend this season. Reggie Jackson is a prime example of this anomaly. Over the Pistons’ last five games, the point guard has shot less than 30 percent from the long-line three times and over 40 percent against both the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trailblazers, games that the Pistons ended up splitting down the middle, 1-1. The Pistons, collectively, shot an abysmal 26 percent from the perimeter against the Denver Nuggets, only hitting 11 of the 42 deep balls Detroit attempted.
The Orlando Magic sit at the eighth position in the league in regards to defending the three-point shot, only allowing 34.5 percent to sink from their opponents. Wayne Ellington, who went 50 percent from long distance making four of his eight attempted three-pointers, and his quick stroke will be called to center stage to offset that trajectory. Luke Kennard struggled earlier in the season to find his rhythm, but even in Detroit’s drought of late has maintained a consistency from the three-point line that must be put in play against the Orlando Magic who are sniffing around the seventh seed.