Sizzlin’ to fizzlin’ again
For third straight game, Magic grab lead and fall apart
There’s just something the Orlando Magic do not like about having a big lead.
For the third straight game, another double-digit third-quarter lead for the Magic turned into more fourth-quarter drama against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. In fact, the Magic squandered two doubledigit leads in each half against the Pistons and, as Evan Fournier had predicted, it came back to haunt them.
The Pistons, who came into the game losers of five in a row, knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter and the Magic never recovered, losing 103-96.
Orlando went almost five minutes without a field goal to start the fourth quarter, turning the ball over six times and missing five floor shots in that span. In the end, it spelled doom and squelched momentum the Magic had gained from a two-game winning streak.
Fournier led the Magic (4-7) with 27 points and Aaron Gordon had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, D.J. Augustin had 16 points and seven assists and Terrence Ross had 15 points off the bench.
Ross was the sole bright spot Clifford saw from his bench.
“If we’re gonna play eight, nine, 10 [players] we’re gonna need five or six to be good, play well and tonight obviously we just didn’t have that,” Clifford said. “The starters were really good, the bench was, whoa ... really bad, really bad. Not even competitive in neither half.
“I thought Terrence Ross was good off the bench. The other guys just not even close.”
Detroit (5-5) was led by Andre Drummond’s double-double of 23 points and 19 rebounds and Blake Griffin added 20 points. The Pistons had five 3-pointers in the decisive fourth quarter and hit 11 during the game.
The Magic were cruising to start the game and pushing the ball out to a pace that had the Pistons on their heels. Fournier picked up where he left off after Monday night’s buzzer-beating game-winner against Cleveland, hitting five of his first seven shots, and Ross came off the bench to score seven straight points. Orlando had built a 31-16 lead with 1:25 remaining in the first quarter.
But, like they had done in the previous two games, the Magic let the opposition back in the game. Sunday night, they let a 26-point lead evaporate at San Antonio, and Monday they watched an 11-point lead disappear against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Leading by 15 points against the Pistons Wednesday, the Magic wouldn’t score again until Detroit rattled off 17 straight points. During a span of 3:44, the Magic missed four shots and turned the ball over three times and the Pistons led 33-31 just two minutes into the second quarter.
The Magic were shooting 58 percent while building their early lead, but they went cold and Detroit took advantage, taking a 58-51 lead at halftime. At the break the Magic field goal percentage had shrunk to 43 percent.