Magic 110, Pistons 106
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- J.J. Redick scored 23 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 42.8 seconds remaining, as the Orlando Magic snapped a five-game losing streak with a 110-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace Friday.
Arron Afflalo had 19 points and Glen Davis supplied 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic, who erased a 13-point, second-half deficit. Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson, who returned after a six-game absence because of a strained right hamstring and groin, added 13 points and 10 assists.
Greg Monroe's 23 points and seven rebounds led Detroit, which dropped to 1-9.
The Pistons led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but the Magic (3-5) finished it with a 9-0 run to close the gap to 75-71. Orlando's momentum carried into the fourth, as Redick made a 3-pointer and two free throws to give the Magic the lead. Nikola Vucevic followed his own miss to complete the 27-11 run for an 89-86 Orlando advantage.
From there, neither club led by more than four. Redick's free throws with 2:20 remaining put Orlando back on top, 99-97. After two Nelson free throws, Jason Maxiell's three-point play brought Detroit within one. Kyle Singler then made two free throws after a Magic turnover, giving the Pistons a 102-101 edge with 47.7 seconds left.
Redick answered with his corner 3-pointer and Davis scored in the lane after a Monroe miss, giving Orlando a four-point lead. The Magic made four free throws to close it out.
Singler, a rookie who played in Spain last season, started his second consecutive game in place of Rodney Stuckey. After the Pistons won at Philadelphia Wednesday to break their eight-game losing streak, Stuckey volunteered to come off the bench so that coach Lawrence Frank could stick with his winning lineup. Stuckey missed that road game with flu-like symptoms.
Frank said the starter at shooting guard would be a game-by-game decision.
"There's nothing set in stone that you can't change," he said. "When you're a team like ours, there's got to be some flexibility."
There was plenty of balance in Frank's rotation during the first half, as six players scored at least as six points. That lifted the Pistons to a 50-44 halftime lead on 56.8 percent shooting.
Another Detroit rookie, center Andre Drummond, made three second-quarter baskets to give his team the lead. Singler followed with a transition layup and later drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 45-38.
Stuckey's only points of the half, a close-range bank shot, came in the closing seconds to give the Pistons their six-point advantage.
Afflalo kept the Magic within striking range with 12 first-half points.
NOTES: Detroit forward Corey Maggette grabbed his 4,000th career rebound during the second quarter. ... Orlando had lost 12 of its last 15 games at The Palace before Friday. ... The two teams are among the youngest in the league, with a combined nine rookies and four second-year men. ... Detroit plays four of its next six games at home. ... The Magic continue a three-game road trip with stops in Toronto Sunday and Atlanta Monday.
