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04/22 22:25 CDT Pistons pound the Magic in paint and meet them at the rim to
end their long home playoff win drought
Pistons pound the Magic in paint and meet them at the rim to end their long
home playoff win drought
By LARRY LAGE
AP Sports Writer
DETROIT (AP) --- Ben Wallace and Rick Mahorn, like proud uncles, watched the
Detroit Pistons pound the Orlando Magic in the paint and meet them at the rim
in a 98-83 win that tied their first-round series at a game apiece.
"I'm sure they appreciated it," Pistons power forward Isaiah Stewart said.
Wallace, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Mahorn, an enforcer
for the Bad Boys, helped the Pistons win a lot of games that looked like
Wednesday night's slugfest.
Stewart had two blocks, including one that denied Paolo Banchero a dunk.
"I'm willing to lay my body on the line to make those plays for the energy,"
Stewart said.
Top-seeded Detroit held eighth-seeded Orlando to 33% shooting and season lows
in points and field goals. The Pistons forced 19 turnovers and blocked 11 shots.
"When we play defense at the level we're capable of, it triggers everything for
us," Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "We can be an elite defensive team, a
disruptive defense. It's Pistons basketball. That's what it looks like.
"We had one off night and it came at a bad time."
In Game 1, the Pistons had a sluggish start in each half and allowed the Magic
to make almost half their shots All five Orlando starters scored at least 16
points in a 112-101 win.
The Pistons were the aggressors in Game 2, blocking seven shots in the opening
12 minutes to tie a franchise playoff record for blocks in a quarter.
In the third, they went on a 30-3 run and outscored the Magic 38-16.
Detroit coasted in the fourth quarter, winning a playoff game for the first
time at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons ended an NBA-record, 11-game home
losing streak in the playoffs that dates to 2008, when the franchise played at
The Palace of Auburn Hills.
"Obviously, we've heard it," Tobias Harris said after scoring 16 points,
blocking two shots and making two steals.
The Magic, a little reluctantly, gave the Pistons some credit for their defense.
"They did a heck of a job of reaching, grabbing and holding," Orlando coach
Jamahl Mosley said. "They protected that paint and our ability to get downhill."
Jalen Suggs scored 19 and Banchero had 18 for the Magic. They combined to make
just 14 of 35 shots.
"They met us at the rim a few times, and they brought the intensity on
defense," Banchero said. "But we got good looks, and nobody really had a great
night shooting the ball."
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
