Riding a four-game losing streak, the Detroit Pistons got a much needed win at home on Tuesday, defeating the visiting Orlando Magic at the Palace of Auburn Hills, 103-87.
Brandon Jennings led the Pistons with 20 points and eight assists, and Andre Drummond scored 13 points to go with his team-high 17 rebounds. Josh Smith had 16 points and five Pistons finished in double-digit scoring totals for the game.
“We needed it a lot,” said reserve Pistons’ guard Will Bynum. “Just happy to get a win.”
Victor Oladipo led Orlando with 19 points off the bench, and Aaron Afflalo and Tobias Harris each added 14 points. Jameer Nelson scored 11 points to go with a team-high seven assists, and reserve forward Kyle O’Quinn grabbed 11 rebounds.
“We have to be tougher,” Nelson said. “Every guy on this team needs to take pride and ownership in their individual performance and the team’s performance. We didn’t do that tonight, not at all.”
After trailing 22-20 at the end of the first quarter, the Pistons opened the second quarter on a 14-8 run thanks to seven points by Bynum. Leading 34-30, Detroit never looked back – leading by as much as 26 in the second half.
“We’ve got a lot of talent on this team, and we just have to figure out the right chemistry of players, at the right times,” Bynum said.
Detroit (18-27) improves to 8-15 at home. The Pistons travel to Atlanta on Wednesday and host Philadelphia on Saturday. Orlando (12-34) falls to 3-20 on the road this season, and next plays at Toronto on Wednesday. The Magic return home Friday to host the Milwaukee Bucks.
