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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| MAGIC | 21 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 94 |
| PISTONS | 21 | 21 | 31 | 25 | 98 |
Recap:
(Courtesy of the AP) -- Richard Hamilton scored 29 points and had a career-high 14 assists as the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 98-94 on Monday night.
Detroit, already without Allen Iverson (back) for the sixth straight game, lost Rasheed Wallace to a calf injury late in the first quarter. Antonio McDyess, though, added 13 points and 18 rebounds to help the Pistons finish off a 3-0 season sweep of the Magic - a team they could face in the first round of the playoffs.
Dwight Howard had 27 points and 14 rebounds for Orlando, which has lost 19 of its last 24 regular-season meetings with the Pistons, and been eliminated by Detroit in each of the last two postseasons.
The teams traded the lead 15 times in the first three quarters, with neither able to go up by more than six points. The Pistons held a 73-71 edge going into the third, and back-to-back baskets by little-used Walter Herrmann put them up 79-73 with 10 minutes to play, but the Magic came right back.
Rashard Lewis' 3-pointer gave Orlando an 85-83 lead four minutes later, but McDyess pulled down three key offensive rebounds to keep Detroit in it.
Rodney Stuckey's short jumper put the Pistons up 91-90 with two minutes left, and Howard missed a pair of free throws before Hamilton's jumper made it a three-point game.
McDyess knocked the ball away from Howard, and Hamilton iced it with a mid-range jumper.
Notes: Hamilton banked in a half-court shot at the end of the first quarter, but the officials waved it off, a decision quickly verified by a replay review. ... Tayshaun Prince warmed up for the second half with a large ice-pack taped to his right calf, but played 20 minutes after the break and finished with 20 points. ... The Pistons are 5-1 since Iverson left the lineup, including three wins over division-leading teams.
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Preview:
At 7:30 p.m. tonight, the heated rivalry will continue when the Magic take on the Pistons (31-30) in Detroit. With a win tonight, the Magic will clinch a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons are the last team to defeat the Magic, as they notched a 93-85 victory in Richard Hamilton’s first game back in the starting lineup. Since inserting Hamilton back into the starting lineup and losing Allen Iverson to a back injury, the Pistons have rattled off four wins in five games, with two of those victories coming against the Magic and Celtics.
It’s hard to believe that a team can be better after losing a future Hall of Famer to an injury, but the record indicates that this team is is performing better without Iverson. He has been out since February 25 but rumors have him returning earlier than the initial two-week layoff doctors projected. He may be in the lineup tonight, but if he is he will be coming off the bench. First-year Head Coach Michael Curry has seen with his own eyes how well this team performs with Hamilton in the starting lineup and will opt to bring Iverson off of the bench in the immediate future. Luckily for the Pistons, Iverson doesn’t seem to have a problem with that and will help the team any way he can down the stretch.
In the February 27 win in Orlando, Hamilton exploded for 31 points and recorded six assists to lead the Pistons to victory. Detroit had solid contributions from most of their lineup, as Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace manned the boards with 13 and 10 rebounds, respectively, and Rodney Stuckey dropped 22 points on the Magic point guards. Tayshaun Prince also played well and finished the night with 17 points and five rebounds.
Stuckey was in attack mode all night against Rafer Alston and Anthony Johnson, so expect more of the same. His success early in the game forced the issue on the Orlando defense and resulted in Hamilton having an easier chance at freeing himself for open shots away from the ball.
The Magic know Detroit’s game plan and should head into the matchup ready to take away those two players’ offensive efficiency. The Magic-Pistons rivalry is well known around the league, along with Detroit’s success in the series. Still, Orlando is red-hot heading into tonight’s matchup and could finish off one of the most successful back-to-backs in team history with a win tonight.
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Keys to the game:
Against the grain: In the Magic's 46 wins this season, the team is averaging 105.6 ppg., but in their 16 losses they are scoring only 91.6 ppg. Orlando has mustered up an average of only 83.5 ppg. in two meetings against Detroit this season, so one would think that it won't be an offensive explosion for the Magic tonight. For that reason, the team is going to have to go against its tendencies and win a low-scoring affair -- just like they did against the Celtics Sunday afternoon in an 86-79 victory. If Orlando can take down the Pistons while scoring less than 90 points, they will have gone against the grain for a win for the second consecutive night against a quality opponent.
48 minutes of concentration: Anthony Johnson put it simply: "Those guys... when you are playing at a high level don’t have too many lapses. So with that being said we have to bring the same focus that they have and maybe even take it up a notch. When you are trying to win tough road games against quality opponents, it’s going take a full 48 minutes of focus."
Keep an eye out for the Magic's energy level from start to finish and also their turnover rate, which will be an indication of the team's focus.
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Game Notes:
Mar. 9 @ Detroit: Orlando is 30-44 all-time vs. Detroit (20-17 at home, 10-27 on the road) during regular season action, including 0-2 this season (see recaps below)…The teams split 2-2 last season…Orlando is 7-12 vs. Detroit in the playoffs (2-0 at home, 1-0 on the road, 1996 first round; 2-1 at home, 1-3 on the road, 2003 first round; 0-2 at home, 0-2 on the road, 2007 first round; 1-1 at home, 0-3 on the road, 2008 Conference Semifinals)...Orlando has lost 18 of the last 23 regular season meetings with the Pistons overall...The Magic have lost nine of the last 13 matchups at home and dropped eight of the last nine at Detroit…Assistant GM Dave Twardzik served as an assistant coach for the Pistons in 2000-01…Assistant Coach Brendan Malone served on the Pistons’ bench for seven seasons from 1988-95 and helped them capture back-to-back NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990…Dec. 29 @ Detroit – Pistons 88, Magic 82: Five Pistons scored in double figures, led by Rodney Stuckey’s 19 points, as Detroit defeated Orlando, 88-82, at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The loss snapped the Magic’s season-high seven-game winning streak. Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace each scored 16 points for Detroit. Rashard Lewis led all scorers with 23 points, while Dwight Howard tallied 18 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks. Both teams struggled from the floor – Detroit shot 42.1 percent, while Orlando shot 40.3 percent. Trailing 77-73, Lewis connected on a four-point play with 6:07 remaining to tie the score. However, the Pistons answered with an 8-0 run and regained control. Detroit only committed four turnovers in the game…Feb. 27 vs. Detroit – Pistons 93, Magic 85: Dwight Howard led all starters in double figures with 21 points and 13 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Magic fell to the Detroit Pistons, 93-85, in front of a sellout crowd at Amway Arena. Orlando took an eight-point advantage into the locker room, but a 15-4 run by the Pistons to start the second half fueled a Detroit comeback and put the visitors on top for good. The Magic scored just 14 points in the third quarter compared to the Pistons’ 28, while also committing six turnovers in the period. Detroit, who outrebounded Orlando 38-28, got a combined 53 points from guard combo Rodney Stuckey and Richard Hamilton, while starting center Rasheed Wallace was held to just six points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. PISTONS: 46 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Orlando, 12-25-02); Shaquille O’Neal (@ Detroit, 2-16-93)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 42 pts., Grant Hill (@ Orlando, 1-3-00)
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