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Magic outhustled in 109-86 loss

For Orlando Magic players to reach where they want to go, they must have fewer nights like Tuesday night.

Playing their fourth game in five nights, the Magic ran out of energy.

The Detroit Pistons dominated the glass and benefitted from a near-flawless shooting performance from reserve swingman Jodie Meeks to crush the Magic 109-86 at Amway Center.

“We’ve got to learn how to play those games: four games in five nights,” guard Victor Oladipo said. “Whatever the case may be, we’ve got to find a way to win. They came out scorching and they finished scorching. Jodie Meeks is probably still scorching right now. So credit them. They played well.”

The Pistons played harder, too.

The Magic entered the night knowing they had to keep the Pistons’ big-man duo of Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe off the offensive boards. But Drummond still collected nine offensive rebounds, while Monroe gathered four.

In a microcosm of the entire night, Magic coach Jacque Vaughn elected to foul Drummond intentionally late in the third quarter with Detroit leading by 12 points. It was a smart move. Drummond had gone just 5 of 14 from the line to that point.
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Drummond missed both attempts.

But after his second miss, Detroit’s Kyle Singler collected the offensive rebound and scored on a layup.

“They had a tougher game than us,” Magic forward Tobias Harris said. “They got on the boards early, and they just didn’t stop. We didn’t respond to them and their physicality.”

Just one night earlier, the Magic (13-22) eked out an emotional, hard-fought win over the Miami Heat in South Florida.

The toughness and attention to detail they demonstrated in Miami was missing against the Pistons (8-23).

“There’s a maturity level that we’re going to get to in being able to produce four [times] out of four in five nights and be able to be called upon and have whatever energy it takes,” Vaughn said. “We’ll get there. We’ll learn how to do it.”

Meeks scored 20 of his 34 points in the second quarter, and Drummond finished with 17 points and 22 rebounds.

In many ways, Meeks’ success was even more frustrating to the Magic than Drummond’s success.

The Pistons employed the same tactic again and again to generate space for Meeks. A Detroit point guard would begin a pick-and-roll, and Drummond or another big man would roll to the hoop. The ball-handler would penetrate into the lane — often with little opposition — and would hurl the ball out to Meeks.

“They killed us on the boards, but Jodie Meeks had maybe seven open shots on a single pick-and-roll,” Magic swingman Evan Fournier said. “We couldn’t stop the play. There’s nothing to say, man. We just got beat by a better team tonight. We need to play harder. That’s it.”

Meeks made all six of his 3-point tries in the second quarter and finished 9 for 11 from beyond the arc.
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“It’s one of those days,” Meeks said. “As a shooter, you love for that to happen.”

Stan Van Gundy, now the Pistons’ head coach and president of basketball operations, received some loud cheers, but not a standing ovation, when he was introduced before tipoff.

Van Gundy’s new team knocked down 3s like his old Magic teams once did.

“They got a little bit tired, which helped us defensively in the second half,” Van Gundy said. “But I will tell you I’m not going to feel sorry for anybody because we play more back-to-backs than anybody in the league.”

The Magic’s fatigue was glaring at times. Magic center Nikola Vucevic, who finished with a season-low five rebounds in 21 minutes, missed several shots off the front of the rim during the third quarter.

Magic players refused to dwell on their fatigue after the game.

“It’s not an excuse,” Harris said.

“No matter how many games you play, you’re out there on the floor. They’re on the road. They traveled to the game. It’s not an excuse.”