Pistons rout Magic; 76ers top Nets

Wayne Ellington scored 17 of his 25 points in the third quarter and the Detroit Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic 115-98 Thursday night in a matchup of teams battling for Eastern Conference playoff positions.

Blake Griffin had 20 points and 10 rebounds for host Detroit, which was coming off a 1-4 road trip. Andre Drummond had 18 points and 18 rebounds, and Ish Smith scored 15 points off the bench.

Aaron Gordon scored 20 points for Orlando, and former Pistons player D.J. Augustin added 18 points.

The Pistons won their 10th straight home game and moved into a tie with the Brooklyn Nets for the sixth seed in the conference. The Magic had won six straight to get back into playoff contention. The loss left Orlando a halfgame behind Miami for the eighth seed. The Heat beat Dallas on Thursday.

The Pistons built a 6046 halftime lead with their outside shooting, making 9 of 16 three-pointers in the first half. The margin could have larger, but Orlando held an 11-2 edge on the offensive glass.

76ers 123, Nets 110: Joel Embiid had 39 points, 13 rebounds and six assists to lead host Philadelphia over Brooklyn. JJ Redick scored 18 points and Ben Simmons had 16 points and eight assists for the 76ers, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

The game matched teams that would’ve met in the first round of the playoffs had the postseason started Thursday. The 76ers have a strong hold on the No. 3 seed in the East with seven games remaining, and they moved three games ahead of idle Indiana.

Joe Harris scored 22 points and Rondae HollisJefferson added 19 for Brooklyn, which is clinging to a playoff spot.

Raptors 117, Knicks 92: Pascal Siakam scored 31 points and Toronto swept the season series against host New York.