Field Level Media
May 3, 2021
Mo Bamba reached career highs with 22 points and 15 rebounds off the bench and the Orlando Magic downed the host Detroit Pistons 119-112 on Monday.
Chasson Randle supplied 18 points while R.J. Hampton contributed 16 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Ignas Brazdeikis tossed in 14 points as Orlando's bench scored 70 points.
Gary Harris and Wendell Carter Jr. added 11 points apiece as the Magic (21-44) moved two games ahead of Detroit (19-46), the Eastern Conference's last-place team.
Saddiq Bey's 26 points and nine rebounds topped the Pistons. Frank Jackson had 19 points off the bench, while Hamidou Diallo scored 16. Tyler Cook had a career-high 13 points and Isaiah Stewart added 10 with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Detroit went cold in the last five minutes of the first half, allowing Orlando to grab a 51-48 halftime lead. The Magic, who had just two turnovers in the half, finished the second quarter on a 15-3 run.
Hampton led the Magic with 12 points and Jackson had the same amount for the Pistons.
Orlando took a seven-point lead early in the second half on a Moritz Wagner 3-pointer.
Orlando increased the lead to double digits by the end of the quarter, carrying an 88-78 advantage into the fourth.
A three-point play by Bamba with 10:11 remaining made it 95-82. He dunked 41 seconds later to maintain the 13-point lead.
Randle soon made a pair of 3-pointers, sandwiching a Frank Jackson long ball, giving Orlando a 103-91 lead. Bamba then scored off a Randle feed for a 14-point lead.
The Pistons answered with a 13-2 run which Bey finished off with two 3-pointers, then a steal and a dunk. But Orlando hung onto the lead down the stretch.
Brazdeikis hit a clutch 3-pointer, then made a layup with 1:05 left to give Orlando a 116-110 lead.
--Field Level Media