After a sloppy first half on both sides of the ball, the Orlando Magic (4-7) ran away with the second half for a 90-74 victory over the struggling Detroit Pistons (2-10) at the Amway Center.
The Magic outscored the Pistons 26-8 in the third quarter, holding Detroit scoreless for the first 9:45 of the quarter.
Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis recorded a casual double-double, with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
“Just going out there and playing as hard as you can…”, Davis said after the game”…that helps a team even more because you give energy and motivate other guys.”
Davis was knocked with two fouls early in the first quarter which limited his availability and led to a variety of youth to take the floor for the Magic.
Rookie forward Andrew Nicholson was one of them, scoring a team high 15 points.
“Andrew has continued to gain trust from the coaching staff, he’s been great…” Magic Coach Jacque Vaughn said, “His ability to continue to learn and play with a maturity, he’s got a good ceiling ahead of him and I’m happy to be apart of trying to get him there.”
Nicholson played at St. Bonaventure, who lost to UCF in the CBI tournament last year. He put up a cool 20 against the Knights in the 69-54 UCF victory.
“I’m still learning the game, so still working hard.” Nicholson said of his transition into the NBA, “The vets are helping me a lot.”
The Orlando Magic (3-7) started off their season looking better than anyone had expected, winning their first two games against Denver and Phoenix while scoring a combined 217 points.
The five straight losses that followed served as a harsh reminder that it takes far more than just young talent to win in the NBA. A three game road trip that delivered one lonely victory against the Pistons reinforced that concept.
Aaron Afflalo, who was acquired in the 12-team trade involving Dwight Howard, is a 5th year veteran who will be looked upon to provide both scoring and leadership on this young team.
Afflalo’s 12 points helped the Magic continue to build a lead over the Pistons.
“The key for us; we have to become a better transition team. And the only way we’re going to do that is to start getting some stops. That was very welcoming for to see for us to put together a defensive effort like that.” said Afflalo.
The defensive effort Afflalo is referring to is, in part, thanks to the scoring hiatus demonstrated by the Pistons to start the third quarter. While they got some decent looks, Detroit could not even buy a bucket. The Magic came out strong after halftime, jumping out to a 67-48 lead before Detroit was able to scored any points, on free throws, with 2:15 left before the final quarter of play.
“I think our defense was pretty good in the first half also. I think it was just concentration coming out of halftime and guys were focused and it showed.” Vaughn said of the Win.
After a short break for Thanksgiving, the Magic will try and build a little momentum when the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town on Friday, the 23rd.
