=== Redick rallies Magic in Detroit ===
Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - J.J. Redick scored 23 points and hit the
go-ahead basket with 42.8 seconds left as the Orlando Magic stopped their
five-game losing streak by rallying for a 110-106 win over the Detroit Pistons
at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Redick's 3-pointer from near the left baseline gave Orlando a 104-102 lead,
and the sharpshooter later sank two clutch free throws to cap a late 7-2 spurt
that helped the Magic overcome a 13-point deficit with under 15 minutes left.
"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," Magic head coach Jacque
Vaughn said.
Arron Afflalo added 19 points and Glen Davis, Nikola Vucevic and Jameer Nelson
each posted double-doubles for Orlando, which also recorded its first road
victory in four tries this year.
Nelson had 13 points and 10 assists in his first outing back from a six-game
absence caused by a strained hamstring. Davis amassed 17 points and 13
rebounds, while Vucevic finished with 11 points and matched a career high by
grabbing 13 boards.
Greg Monroe netted 23 points and Tayshaun Prince ended with 18 on 7-of-11
shooting for a Detroit team that ended an eight-game skid to begin the season
with Wednesday's 94-76 win at Philadelphia.
"You could tell it was turning into a shootout," Pistons head coach Lawrence
Frank said. "That's not the type of game this team is going to win."
The Magic trailed 73-60 late in the third quarter, but slowly crawled back and
grabbed an 89-86 edge when Vucevic followed two successful Redick foul shots
with a tip-in of his own miss with 7:12 to play.
Seven lead changes would follow over the next six-plus minutes, with Detroit
coming back from a 101-97 hole with a 5-0 run that began with a 3-point play
from Jason Maxiell with 1:02 to go. On the ensuing possession, Brandon Knight
stole an errant pass from Nelson and fed Kyle Singler, who was fouled with
47.7 seconds remaining and made both attempts to put the Pistons up by a
102-101 score.
Following an Orlando timeout, Redick and Vucevic executed a give-and-go that
culminated with the former draining a 26-footer to send the Magic back in
front.
Monroe then missed a layup on the other end, and Davis buried a short hook to
extend the margin to four with 15.3 seconds on the clock.
A quick Singler basket brought Detroit within 106-104, but Redick and Afflalo
would seal the victory by making four free throws in the final seconds.
Orlando began its comeback by orchestrating a 13-2 run that spanned the final
3 1/2 minutes of the third quarter and the initial stages of the fourth. The
Magic reserves fueled the critical spurt, which ended when Andrew Nicholson
converted a layup that trimmed Detroit's lead to 75-73 just 10 seconds into
the final period.
The Pistons were in front for most of the first half and held a margin of as
many as 10 points, when Monroe put up the first six points of an 8-0 flurry
that staked Detroit to a 21-11 advantage with under four minutes left in the
opening quarter.
Detroit held a 50-44 edge at halftime after shooting a strong 56.8 percent
over the first two quarters, then pushed the difference to double digits when
Prince accounted for six of the first eight points to begin the second half.
Game Notes
Vucevic also had 13 rebounds in a 115-94 Orlando win over Phoenix on Nov. 4
... The Magic had lost in two straight and 12 of their last 15 trips to
Detroit prior to Friday's result ... Knight finished with 10 points and a
career-best 12 assists for the Pistons ... Detroit's Rodney Stuckey returned
to action after sitting out Wednesday's win with the flu and ended with nine
points in 21 minutes ... Pistons swingman Corey Maggette notched his 4,000th
career rebound in the first half.
11/17 02:26:41 ET

|