The Detroit Pistons split their season series with the Orlando Magic with two victories apiece
Heading into their Eastern Conference matchup down in Orlando on Monday night, the Detroit Pistons received a mixed batch of injury news before they faced the magic, which unfolded as a 123-107 loss for the East’s top team.
On the bright side, All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham was upgraded to doubtful before the Magic game, which is a noted improvement in condition since he’s been sidelined for multiple weeks with a collapsed lung. Cunningham did not suit up against Orlando, however, but the progression of his injury inspires confidence that Detroit’s floor general could return to the court prior to the playoffs.
On the other end of the spectrum, Pistons veterans Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson were ruled out just before tip-off after initially landing on the injury report with questionable designations. So, Detroit opted to start Paul Reed at the power forward position since Isaiah Stewart was also out, and Kevin Huerter stepped into the starting lineup to replace Robinson.
With the injection of two new players into the starting lineup, the Pistons were trailing early in the first half and could never claw their way back into the contest. Detroit made a late surge after the third quarter, but the Pistons couldn’t sustain their offensive efficiency for long enough to make a significant dent in the Orlando lead.
“Too many mental lapses, breakdowns, things that we typically don’t do, we were allowing to happen on both ends of the floor,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “Went back to the starting group and I thought they did a great job to start that fourth quarter, then we had some lapses down the stretch and turnovers.”
In their extended run of play, Huerter had a strong shooting performance with 17 points (7-for-14 FGs) while grabbing three rebounds, dishing out five assists and connecting on a trio of three-pointers against the Magic. Over the past couple weeks, Huerter has really grown in both confidence and production, and his role on the Pistons’ has expanded as a result of his quality play while Cunningham has been sidelined.
From an offensive perspective, the Pistons benefited from another steady contribution from Jalen Duren, who has also upped his workload during the final stretch of the regular season. JD posted 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the double-digit loss, which is just below his production rate when Cunningham has been sidelined.
On the other end of the court, the Pistons had trouble containing the dynamic duo of Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero as the Magic split the season series against Detroit. Bane finished the contest with 25 points, three rebounds and one assist on the night, while Banchero enjoyed a 31-point performance with a tidy 10-for-16 mark from the field while drilling all 10 of his free throw opportunities.
With three games left in the regular season, the Pistons will face the Milwaukee Bucks next on Wednesday, April 8 at 7 pm at home.
For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.