Field Level Media
Feb 12, 2020
Aaron Gordon had 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and Nikola Vucevic hit the go-ahead shot in overtime as the Orlando Magic held off the visiting Detroit Pistons 116-112 on Wednesday.
Markelle Fultz supplied 22 points and 10 assists, while Vucevic contributed 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Evan Fournier added 19 points for the Magic.
Christian Wood led the Pistons with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Thon Maker had 18 points, Markieff Morris scored 14, Reggie Jackson added 12 and Langston Galloway chipped in 11 for the Pistons, who have lost four straight.
Fultz made a jumper with 2:22 left in overtime to give his team a 112-110 edge. A putback dunk by Wood tied it at the 1:25 mark.
Vucevic made a layup with 40.8 seconds left to put Orlando back in front. Derrick Rose then turned the ball over, and Fournier was fouled with 13.4 seconds left. He made one of two free throws. Galloway missed a 3-point try that could have tied the game, and Fultz added another free throw with 1.8 seconds left for the final margin.
The Pistons led 11-4 in the early going, but Orlando finished the quarter with a 28-9 run to take a 32-20 lead. Fournier hit a pair of 3-pointers midway through the second quarter as Orlando extended its lead to 22 at 47-25.
Wood and Morris then sparked a comeback, as the Pistons whittled the Magic's lead to 59-55 by halftime.
Orlando led 87-81 heading into the fourth but missed its first 10 field goal attempts in the quarter.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Svi Mykhailiuk and Jackson gave Detroit the lead at 91-89. Another long ball by Morris increased the advantage to five points. Maker then scored in the lane to finish off a 13-0 outburst.
Gordon made two free throws with 3:34 left to cut the Pistons' lead to 101-97. His 3-pointer with just over a minute left tied it at 103.
Vucevic fired in a long ball that bounced around the rim and dropped in with 7.9 seconds left to give Orlando a three-point advantage. But Galloway drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with two seconds left to send the game into overtime.
--Field Level Media