Orlando Magic lose to the Detroit Pistons 111-97

By Josh Robbins
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Updated: March 28, 2015

The Orlando Magic finished last season with a 23-59 record.

When this season started, the Magic seemed likely to approach 30 victories, especially given the sad state of the Eastern Conference.

Now, with Orlando sitting on 22 wins with eight games remaining, you have to wonder whether the team can even match last season’s win total.

The doubts multiplied Friday night. The Magic lacked physicality on the boards, fouled too often and committed too many turnovers in a 111-97 trouncing at the hands of Stan Van Gundy’s Detroit Pistons.

“We have 22 wins,” forward Tobias Harris said. “Last season, how many wins did we have? Twenty-three? We have to show improvement. The guys on this team, this group is here. We’re here. We’re a part of the Orlando Magic. Fans come. They support us. We have to show more urgency out there for ourselves, and we have to try to win games. We have to build something.”

Time’s running out to do that.

With Dewayne Dedmon missing Friday’s game because of renewed soreness in his sprained left ankle, the Magic lacked a rim protector, and the Pistons took advantage of his absence.

Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson and center Andre Drummond ran the pick-and-roll effectively. And when Jackson didn’t toss the ball to Drummond or take the ball to the hoop, swingman Tayshaun Prince often found himself open on the perimeter.

Jackson recorded the second triple-double of his career, compiling 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

“When he’s aggressive, he is a very good player,” Van Gundy said.

Drummond added 16 points. And Prince scored a season-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
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“Overall, our halfcourt defense was OK,” interim Magic coach James Borrego said. “It needs to be much better.”

The announced crowd of 16,427 inside Amway Center didn’t have much to cheer about other than Shaquille O’Neal’s presence. The Magic inducted O’Neal into their Hall of Fame late Friday afternoon and honored him with a ceremony at midcourt between the first and second quarters.

Orlando’s loss was strange in one respect: The Magic made 52 percent of their shots from the field, and teams that make over half of their shots don’t usually lose so soundly.

It didn’t help that they committed 17 turnovers, went just three for 15 from 3-point range and only reached the free-throw line eight times.

The Pistons, on the other hand, took 27 free throws.

“I’m worried about us playing better in general,” Magic shooting guard Victor Oladipo said. “We’re trying to lead up into the summer and the new season a better team, [as] better players. Playing like that today, playing like we did the other night, we can’t continue to do that.”

The Magic have lost nine of their last 10 games.

“It’s a totally different team from last year, so you can’t make a comparison from last year to this year,” center Nikola Vucevic said.

“But, obviously, having 22 wins is not good. It’s bad. We’ve just got to make the best out of the last eight games.”

Although the Pistons (28-44) are unlikely to qualify for the playoffs, they have won four consecutive games.

The Magic face a critical summer — a summer in which they must settle on a permanent head coach, consider adding to the roster and face a decision on whether to keep Harris, who is on track to become a restricted free agent.

In May, they will make their third consecutive appearance in the NBA Draft Lottery.

Players said they want to at least end this lost season on a positive note.

They won’t play another game until Wednesday.

“I just think over these next four days, we all as individuals have to look ourselves in the mirror and we have to come in here to work every day,” Harris said. “We have to really ask ourselves, ‘What are we trying to get out of this?'”